Vietnam took their second AFF Under-23 Championship 2023 in two years after beating Indonesia in a fitting finale that went into Extra Time and then the Penalty Shootout here at the Rayong Provincial Stadium.
With the score still tied scoreless at the end of extra time, it was Vietnam who emerged 6-5 victorious in the Penalty Shootout.
“This is my first time to win a championship as the head coach. I am so proud of my players, but more importantly many teams here brought young players to this tournament and this is good for the development of football in the region,” said Vietnam head coach Hoang Anh Tuan.
Both Vietnam and Indonesia did not exactly explode off the block as they remained cautious not to go forward too much and left being exposed at the back.
It was Indonesia who were the early aggressors through the likes of Beckham Putra Nugraha and Mohammad Haykal Alhafiz but none could make it count with the chances created.
Vietnam only came alive at the half-hour mark but the 32nd minute effort from Nguyen Minh Quang came off the post instead.
With Indonesia faring no better at the start of the second half, Vietnam seized the opportunity with several attempts on a trot but again Nguyen Quoc Viet could not find the right finish with his double try.
The script was the same into the Extra Time with both teams trying hard but were just unable to find their way through as it then forced the game into the Penalty Shootout.
Vietnam and Indonesia converted the five initial attempts but for the sixth, Indonesian keeper Ernando Sutaryadi’s try was blocked by Vietnam custodian Quan Van Chuan.
That handed the advantage to Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, who did not miss from the spot to give Vietnam the title this year.
“Ernando is a confident player. And he always took penalties during practice and did well. So please do not condemn him, please support him,” said Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong.
In the meantime, host Thailand came in third in the competition this year after beating Malaysia 4-3 in the Penalty Shootout.
The score at the end of regulation was 0-0 and went straight to the Penalty Shootout as per the Tournament Regulation.
“We will play Malaysia again in the AFC qualifiers, so from this tournament and the match today, we will of course make some adjustments to bring in other players,” said Thailand head coach Ithsara Issaro.
With just winning the third place on the line, the game was more open than usual with both teams putting up an entertaining offensive style of football.
But in the end, neither could make good on the chances that were created to force the game into the luck of the Penalty Shootout.
Malaysia’s Syahir Bashah and Muhammad Abu Khalil missed handing the third spot to Thailand 4-3 as Thakdanai Jaihan was the only one who failed to convert for the latter.
AFF UNDER-23 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
RESULTS
FINAL: Vietnam 0 (6) – 0 (5) Indonesia
Vietnam win Penalty Shootout 6-5
3rd & 4th Placing: Malaysia 0 (3) – 0 (4) Thailand
Thailand win Penalty Shootout 4-3
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