Vietnamese striker Nguyen Van Toan. (Photo: vov.vn)
"Toan’s tap-in during extra-time has created history for Vietnamese football.
His strike meant that the Vietnam men’s team progressed to the last four of
Asian Games for the first time,” the website says.
Football Tribe also ranked the other three most memorable moments,
including the friendship of Indonesia and Palestine, Safawi Rasad’s double
against the Republic of Korea for Malaysia, and Thai striker Supachai Jaided’s
late goals.
With a perfect record of three wins against Nepal, Pakistan and Japan, Vietnam
topped Group D to reach the knock-out phase.
They beat Bahrain 1-0 before seeing off Syria in the quarter-finals to be the
last remaining Southeast Asian team in the tournament.
They suffered a 1-3 defeat to the Republic of Korea in the semi-finals.
Although the team lost to the UAE 3-4 during a tense penalty shootout
after drawing 1-1 in official time in the bronze medal match, they have been
lauded for finishing in the top four for the first time. Their performance was
celebrated by fans, with the players and coaches returning to a hero’s welcome
on National Day (September 2).
Vietnam’s journey throughout the competition gives hope for the team to advance
further at the continental level on the pitch.
ASIAD is the world’s second biggest multiple sports event after
the Olympics. This year’s edition was held in Jakarta and Palembang of
Indonesia from August 18 to September 2, drawing 16,000 competitors and
officials from 45 countries and territories.
Source: VNA
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