Vietnam U23 draw Tajikistan in friendly

By Dong Huyen October 11, 2021 | 11:09 pm PT

Vietnam U23's lineup in the friendly game with Tajikistan on October 11, 2021. Photo by Vietnam Football Federation

Despite scoring first, Vietnam U23 couldn’t defend the lead and let Tajikistan equalize 1-1 in a friendly Monday night.

The exhibition game was a chance for both teams to prepare for the U23 Asian Cup in late October.

Assistant coach Kim Han Yoon managed the team for this game since coach Park Hang-seo is busy with the national team ahead of the World Cup qualifiers clash with Oman.

In the first half, with formation 5-3-2, Vietnam enjoyed better possession but didn't create any clear chance. On the other side, Tajikistan played simply but created two dangerous chances.

Kim fielded 10 substitutions during the second half. Vietnam still dominated in possession and attacked more, while Tajikistan stuck to counter-attacks.

In the 81st minute, Vietnam finally scored. A long pass found Nguyen Bao Toan on the left flank, crossing inside for Le Xuan Tu to head it into the net.

Seven minutes later, Rustam Soirov equalized for Tajikistan with a simple tap-in from a pass inside the box.

Tajikistan played more roughly than necessary in the additional minutes, which led to an altercation between the teams. Referee gave a red card to a Tajikistan player, but the time was not enough for Vietnam to score another goal.

Vietnam U23 are currently training in the UAE, with their next friendly with Kyrgyzstan set for Oct. 17.