Striker Ha Duc Chinh’s brilliant performance handed Vietnam a 1-1 draw with the UAE at Thong Nhat stadium in HCM city on Sunday.
The friendly was an important test for Vietnam U22 ahead of SEA Games 30 in the Philippines later this year.
Since Vietnam and the UAE are in the same group at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnamese players’ jersey numbers were selected randomly.
Vietnam U22 exerted significant pressure right at the beginning of the match with Do Thanh Thinh and Nham Manh Dung doing a splendid job.
Both teams had a fair share of chances. Duc Chinh and Viet Hung missed several chances in the first half.
In the second half, Vietnam U22 played confidently but Ngoc Bao’s negligence gave Al Zaabi a chance to beat goalie Tien Dung.
Duc Chinh equalized for Vietnam with a header two minutes later.
The 1-1 match was acceptable for Vietnam as the UAE is a strong team in the region.
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