| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam under-23 national team endured a heavy 6-0 defeat against Vietnam under-23 team in their opening Group K game in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 qualifiers at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Friday night.
The youthful Wasps have shipped 19 goals in three games against the 2018 runners-up with the other meetings being played at the Southeast Asian Games in 2013 and 2015.
The Golden Dragons broke the deadlock in the 11th minute after Ha Duc Chinh nodded home an inch perfect cross from Do Thanh Thinh.
Vietnam’s mazy dribbler Truong Van Thai Quy darted into the box and produced a cutback but the goal-scorer sliced his shot wide.
Huynh Tan Sinh met a cross from Trieu Viet Hung with a header but the ball struck the base of the post before the rebound was turned in by Nguyen Thanh Chung.
Do Thanh Thinh nearly added his second assist of the game after his cross found a teammate whose improvised volley rattled against the post.
Vietnam’s Doan Van Hau’s swerving cross into the box found Ha Duc Chinh but his header narrowly missed the target and into the side-netting.
Team captain Nguyen Hoang Duc dragged his effort wide after a ball which was cleared half-heartedly by a Brunei defender fell kindly into his path.
Vietnam threatened with a couple of shots that bounced off the Brunei’s rear-guard like a pinball machine but third time the charm when Dinh Thanh Binh smashed home a low drive.
Vietnam defender Ho Tan Tai brilliantly skipped his marker before forcing a strong pair of hands from the Brunei goalkeeper with a curled effort.
Trieu Viet Hung perfectly placed his shot home to resume their attacking intent after being set up by a teammate who effortlessly danced into the Brunei backline.
The Southeast Asian powerhouses were awarded a penalty after Muhammad Wafi bin Aminuddin brought down a Vietnamese attacker, an offence which warranted a straight red card. Huynh Tan Sinh tucked home from the spot for the fifth goal of the game.
There was still time for a sixth as the rampant Vietnamese converted their second penalty through Nguyen Quang Hai deep into stoppage time.
Brunei will meet Thailand, who are fresh from a 4-0 victory over Indonesia, today and will conclude their campaign against Indonesia on Tuesday.