Doha, April 17 (QNA) - Vietnam kicked off their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Group D campaign in style, defeating Kuwait 3-1 at the Al Janoub Stadium on Wednesday.
The 2018 runners-up took full advantage of Kuwait going a man down in the 31st minute to claim the three points although they too ended the tie a player down.
The match began on an equal footing with Kuwait having the early chances but Salman Al Awadhi and Hussain Ashkanani both sent their efforts wide in the opening minutes.
Vietnam suffered a setback in the 12th minute when Nguyen Dinh Bac was forced to leave the field due to an injury but the Southeast Asian side were not affected and should have taken the lead three minutes later.
Nguyen Van Tung was positioned perfectly to deliver the final blow, but a mix-up with Khuat Van Kang saw them getting into each others way as the chance slipped away.
The match took another twist when Kuwait's Ebraheem Kameel was sent off after a VAR review for a violent challenge on Khuat.
With a one-man advantage, Vietnam finally broke through when Van Tung masterfully beat the offside trap to latch onto Nguyen Van Truongs well-timed pass before calmly slotting the ball past goalkeeper Abdulrahman Marzouq in added time.
Just before the halftime whistle, Nguyen Ngoc Thang brought down Abdulrahman Karam, leading to another VAR review. The outcome was a red card for Ngoc Thang, and Salman Al Awadhi made no mistake from the spot to level the scores.
Vietnam coach Hoang shook things up with three substitutions in the second half, a move that paid immediate dividends. Substitute Bui Vi Hao pressured goalkeeper Marzouq into a blunder, allowing the Becamex Binh Duong forward to easily tap in and regain the lead in the 47th minute.
Vietnam continued to apply pressure, leading to a scrappy exchange in the box, with Vo Hoang Minh Khoa slotting home in the 55th minute, but the goal was disallowed as Nguyen Thai Son was caught offside in the buildup.
Bui continued to shine, notching another goal in the 76th minute off a precise through pass from Thai Son and Vietnam will now look forward to playing Malaysia on Saturday while Kuwait face 2018 champions Uzbekistan. (QNA)