Vietnam shot to the top of Group G of the second round qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2022 when they beat United Arab Emirates 1-0 on the fifth matchday at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.
UAE had a man short in the 37th minute when defender Khalifa Al Hammadi was red-carded by Japanese referee Jumpei Iida following a foul on Nguyen Tien Linh.
And six minutes later, Tien Linh fired home from some distance to give Vietnam the hard-fought victory.
The three points allowed Vietnam to take the lead in Group G following close rivals Thailand’s defeat to Malaysia at home at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
It was the visiting Thai side who grabbed the lead after only seven minutes when the Ekanit Panya made inroads on the right before cutting it back for Chanatip Songkrasin to first time past goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid.
The Malaysians then replied with Syameer Kutty Abba worked his way up on the left before his cut back for Brendan Tan stunned Thai keeper Siawarak Tedsungnoen with a left-footed low drive into the far corner.
With the score at 1-1 at the half, the Malaysians then stormed into the lead on 58th minute when Brendan lifted the ball into the box for Mohamadou Sumareh to slam the ball into the roof of the Thai net.
The win gave Malaysia their second full points as Thailand on second in Group G where they will play Vietnam next on 19 November 2019.
Elsewhere, Myanmar picked up their first win with a 4-3 victory at the Mandalar Thiri Stadium in Mandalay.
Suan Lam Mang was on the double with goals in the 10th and 40th minute as Si Thu Aung (48th) and Maung Maung Lwin (63rd) added further goals.
Tajikistan’s goals were scored by Manuchekr Dzhalilov’s penalty in the 36th minute and then another in the 76th minute with Farkhod Vasiev’s effort in between in the 57th minute.
On the other hand, the Philippines scored a 2-1 win over Maldives on the road in Male.
Following a missed penalty from Patrick Reichelt in the 40th minute, the Philippines came storming back with two goals off Iain Ramsay in the 53rd minute and John Patrick Strauss’s effort in the 69th minute.
Maldives’ grabbed a consolation goal through midfielder Naiz Hassan, but it was too late to deny the Philippines.
The win puts the Philippines on third in Group A.
The last tie of the evening saw Australia making it perfect four out of four with a close 1-0 win over Jordan at the King Abdullah International Stadium in Amman.
Adam Taggart’s early striker in the 13th minute separated the two sides as Australia maintained their hold of Group B.
