A goal by Nguyen Tien Linh and a brace by Ha Duc Chinh gifted Vietnam a 3-0 lead going into halftime before a second-half own goal by a Cambodian defender made it 4-0 for Park Hang-seo’s side.
Cambodia had a golden chance to score a consolation goal seconds before the final whistle, but keeper Van Toan made a smart save from a penalty kick to help Vietnam maintain a clean sheet.
The last challenge between Vietnam and their long-awaited SEA Games gold medal will be Indonesia who trounced Myanmar 4-2 in the remaining semifinal earlier on the same day.
Both teams started the match at a high tempo, with Cambodia confidently competing for the ball in midfield, thus creating numerous difficulties for Vietnam in deploying their attacks.
However, it was Park Hang-seo’s side who opened the scoring, as Tien Linh met Duc Chinh’s right-wing cross with an unstoppable header to the far corner in the 20th minute.
Nguyen Tien Linh heads home to open the scoring for Vietnam.
Inspired by the early opener, Vietnam reclaimed ball possession and successfully set the pace of the game.
Shortly afterward, Duc Chinh stole the ball from a Cambodian player and chipped a delightful pass to Tien Linh. The Becamex Binh Duong forward burst down the right flank and fired a narrow-angle shot which was comfortably blocked by the Cambodian goalkeeper.
However, Vietnamese fans had to wait only five more minutes to celebrate the second goal, with Duc Chinh speeding up to take a long pass from Thanh Chung and beating the goalie in a one-on-one to net his sixth goal in this year’s SEA Games.
Duc Chinh celebrates scoring Vietnam's second goal against Cambodia.
In the remainder of the first half, Cambodia put up their pressure hoping to pull back a goal, but still could not break through Vietnam’s solid defence.
On the stroke of halftime, Truong Van Thai Quy came off the bench to replace Tien Linh who suffered an injury.
The Hanoi FC midfielder immediately proved his value by feeding an annoying cross into the box for Duc Chinh to head home from close range to make it 3-0 for Vietnam.
Duc Chinh scores the third goal for Vietnam.
Cambodia could not produce a single shot on target throughout the first half.
Park’s side maintained their dominance in the second half and extended their advantage to four goals eight minutes after the hour mark, with Thai Quy’s left-wing corner kick being unexpectedly deflected into the net by a Cambodian defender.
Duc Chinh almost completed a hat-trick in the 83rd minute, shooting over the crossbar from close range despite being in a comfortable position.
Vietnam keeper Van Toan denied Cambodia a consolation goal as he brilliantly blocked a spot kick by Keo Sokpheng to round off a perfect match for the Vietnamese team.
With the resounding 4-0 victory, Park Hang-seo’s side have maintained an unbeaten run going into the final against Indonesia, scheduled in three days’ time.
