Vietnam’s Asiad fairytale run stopped by the RoK

A double by Lee Seung-woo and a goal by Hwang Ui-jo gifted Kim Hak-bum’s side a 3-0 advantage before Minh Vuong converted a free-kick into a consolation goal for the Vietnameses.

The RoK started the match at a lightning pace and went ahead after just seven minutes thanks to a close-range goal by Lee Seung-woo, nicknamed “Messi of the RoK”. Vietnamese defenders were clumsy in blocking a fast attacking situation from the RoK side, letting the ball find Lee, and the former Barcelona wonderkid made no mistake in producing an accurate finish from close range.

Better skills allowed Kim Hak-bum’s players to dominate ball possession and put constant pressure on the Vietnamese side.

The RoK’s prevalence went on to be concretised in the 27th minute, as Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min provided a through ball for Hwang Ui-jo to destroy the offside trap and beat Vietnam keeper Bui Tien Dung in a one-on-one situation, increasing his 2018 Asiad goal tally to nine.

With five minutes from half time, Van Quyet missed a clear-cut chance to pull a goal back for Vietnam, as his shot in the box went a long way over the crossbar.

With a safe gap, the RoK proactively slowed down the pace of the match after the break to defend their advantage and counted on counterattacks to seek for additional goals.

Minh Vuong celebrates with teammates after scoring a consolation goal for Vietnam.

Vietnam made use of this opportunity to pressure in the hopes of reducing the score. However, ineffective defence forced Park Hang-seo’s side to pay dearly, as Lee Seung-woo made it 3-0 for the RoK five minutes before the hour mark.

With time running out, the “yellow stars” created several chances to score in front of the RoK goal, but had to rely on a set-piece in the 70th minute to pull a goal back, with Minh Vuong successfully converting a free-kick.

Vietnam’s attacks became more diverse as favourite striker Nguyen Cong Phuong came off the bench eight minutes later. Nonetheless, the attempts of Park Hang-seo’s side could not save them from a 1-3 defeat against the superior RoK.

With the semifinal loss, Vietnam’s Olympic team said goodbye to their Asiad title ambition and will play the losers of the other semifinal clash between Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the bronze medal match set for September 1.