Undermanned Vietnam holds Indonesia 2-2
JAKARTA (JP): Vietnam, playing with 10 men for most of the second half, held host Indonesia 2-2 in their group B match of the 19th SEA Games soccer competition yesterday.
Van Sy Hung was the toast of Vietnam with two goals that kept his team's slender chances of progressing beyond the round-robin matches alive.
Vietnam was reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute yesterday when defender Do Van Khai received his marching orders from Singaporean referee Santan Nagalingam for felling Widodo Cahyono Putro.
The determined Indonesians had taken the initiative from the outset.
Bima Sakti, one of Indonesia's young squad who played in the Italian junior league a few years ago, gave Indonesia a 1-0 lead from a free kick in the 17th minute, his first goal in the tournament.
In the 28th minute, striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto almost added to the score, but his header went high and wide.
The two teams maintained their pace in the second half, but it was Vietnam which found the net first.
Agile striker Hung broke away from the Indonesian defenders to finish a corner with a bicycle kick that sent Indonesian keeper Kurnia Sandy the wrong way in the 58th minute.
Vietnam's jubilation was short-lived as Kurniawan finally found the target five minutes later. The Central Javanese forward headed home a cross fed by fellow striker Widodo.
Indonesia controlled the rest of the match, but its shaky defense cost it its second win. Hung, once again, toyed with Indonesia's trio of defenders before beating Kurnia with a flat drive in the 87th minute to silence the 50,000 crowd.
In the earlier group match, a hat trick by Mohammad Azmi helped Malaysia maintain its 100 percent record with a 4-0 rout of the Philippines. Zami Muhammad Noer scored the other.
In group A, Thailand's title defense bid received a major boost with a 6-0 win over lowly Brunei. Tawan Sripan and Kiatisuk Senamuang scored two goals each, while Chaichan Khewsen and substitute Worawoot Srimaka each hit one.
The win puts the Thais on top of the group with six points, ahead of Cambodia on three points but with one game in hand. Cambodia, which routed Brunei 4-0 on Sunday, plays Singapore tomorrow.
Singapore was left trailing after its 2-2 draw with Myanmar yesterday. Myo Hlaing Win scored two goals for Myanmar, while Singapore equalized through Selvaraj Vengsadalam and Zulkarnaen Zainal. (10)
Results
Group A: Thailand 6 Brunei 0 (ht. 2-0) Singapore 2 Myanmar 2 (ht. 1-0)
Standings
P W D L Gf Ga Pts Thailand 2 2 0 0 8 1 6 Cambodia 1 1 0 0 4 0 3 Singapore 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 Myanmar 2 0 1 1 3 4 1 Brunei 2 0 0 2 0 9 0
Group B: Malaysia 4 Philippines 0 (ht. 2-0) Indonesia 2 Vietnam 2 (ht. 1-0)
Standings
P W D L Gf Ga Pts Malaysia 2 2 0 0 5 0 6 Indonesia 2 1 1 0 7 4 4 Vietnam 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 Laos 1 0 0 1 2 5 0 Philippines 1 0 0 1 0 4 0