Vietnam ‘strongest team in Southeast Asia’: Cambodia coach

Speaking at a press conference after the match, he said: "We were expecting a tough game because Vietnam are the strongest team in Southeast Asia at the moment. Conceding early affected the players."

Despite being the underdogs, Cambodia maintained an attacking style and tried to put pressure on Vietnam. But this meant leaving lots of space in the back for Vietnam to exploit, and they duly did so.

Striker Nguyen Tien Linh opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, and doubled his tally 24 minutes later with a cracking goal from outside the box.

Cambodia had more possession (52 percent) but only six shots at goal compared to Vietnam’s 14.

In the second half they conceded two more goals to Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Quang Hai.

"We tried to keep possession and stick to our style of play, but the pressure from Vietnam was too much," Hirose said.

"The players made a few mistakes and lost the game. This defeat is a valuable experience for the young players. They will train harder to get better."

The 4-0 win was not enough for Vietnam to take top spot from Indonesia, who also have 10 points but scored more goals.

Vietnam thus take on Thailand in one semifinal, while Indonesia play host Singapore.

 

 

Vietnam ‘strongest team in Southeast Asia’: Cambodia coach

Việt Nam 4-0 Campuchia