Vietnam beat Mongolia 4-2 in Asian Games opener

Vietnam found the opening goal early when Nguyen Quoc Viet took advantage of a Mongolia defender’s mistake and finished past the legs of goalkeeper Sereekhuu Batmagnai in the 3rd minute.

A comfortable start in Hangzhou, China, boosted the spirit of Vietnam players as they kept creating more scoring chances. In the 32nd minute, a series of passes ended with Quoc Viet’s long-range shot that hit a Mongolia defender before going in. The remaining time of the first half saw Vietnam netting another goal in the 41st minute with Khuat Van Khang’s solo attempt.

Vietnamese players celebrate their victory against Mongolia at Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, September 19, 2023. Photo by VnExpress

After the third goal, Vietnam were believed to secure a big win without any resistance from Mongolia.

However, the three substitutions at the end of the first half brought real changes for Mongolia. They found an early goal one minute into the second half when Nguyen Thai Son made a mistake and let Uuganbat Batmönkh score.

Vietnam led by three goals again in the 64th minute with a simple goal by Vo Nguyen Hoang.

Despite many attempts to find more goals in the remaining time, Vietnam could not succeed. They let Mongolia score another goal in the very last minute when goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan made a mistake and let Baljinnyam Batmunkh finish easily.

Although Vietnam won, the score could not be satisfactory since playing Mongolia, a weaker opponent, was a chance for them to score as many as possible to keep the hope of getting into the next round.

In the next two games, Vietnam will face two superior teams, Iran and Saudi Arabia.