Vietnam mocked for falling into Timor Leste offside trap

By Hong Duy May 16, 2022 | 12:01 am PT

A screenshot shows six Vietnamese players (L) in offside position during a SEA Games 31 match with Timor Leste on May 15, 2022.

Six Vietnam players, who found themselves simultaneously offside during their SEA Games 31 football match against Timor Leste, have stirred heated discussion among regional football fans.

In the eighth minute of the Sunday match, with the score 0-0, Vietnamese midfielder Le Van Do tried to cross inside from a free kick. But before Do could touch the ball, the Timor Leste defense moved up before six Vietnam players could retreat, placing them all in an offside position.

In the ASEAN Football Community forum, a fan wrote: "A simple trick but Vietnam still fell for it."

"I didn’t watch the game, is this real?" a fan commented.

A few opinions held that such play exposed Vietnam’s inexperience, while others saw it as a well-oiled trick by Timor Leste.

Such instances are uncommon in football. During World Cup 2018, Japan did the same against Senegal, displaying great timing and concentration.

In the game between Vietnam and Timor Leste in Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho, the host found the net twice in the second half and eventually won 2-0. This victory put them at the top of group A with 10 points after 10 games. The squad will face either Malaysia or Thailand in the semifinals.