Vietnam have made a comprehensive win 4-0 against Thailand at the U23 AFC Championship 2020 Qualifiers, marking the first impressive drubbing against the War Elephants since 1998. 
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Parliament Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan with the team. Photo: VNN
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The Golden Dragons entered the match with the must-win status before the War Elephants that started the match on the front, leaving some nerves for fans at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi earlier this week.
But the Golden Dragons continuously threatened on the counter and were soon rewarded for their persistence as Ha Duc Chinh opened the scoring for them in the 17th minute, FOX Sports reported.
The bombardment began in the second half after Vietnam doubled their lead through Nguyen Hoang Duc. The sending off of Supachai Jaided minutes later opened the floodgates for the Golden Dragons’ following goals.
Nguyen Quang Trung and Tran Thanh Son got two for the team to complete a 4-0 rout of the War Elephants, the second match that Vietnam impressively defeated Thailand after the 3-0 win in 1998.
FOX Sports said that Vietnam put up a commendable performance that day. Thailand’s Siamsport attributed the Vietnamese victory for good tactics and determination.
Thai fans, meanwhile, showed their anger and disappointment toward the team, admitting that the score shocked them.
Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Parliament Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan with head coach Park Hang Seo. Photo: ANTD
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The win enables Vietnam to deservedly book their place to the Finals of the Championship next year as top of Group K after convincingly defeated all three regional opponents Brunei (6-0), Indonesia (1-0) and Thailand (4-0).
Vietnam among 16 teams were drawn into four seeding groups according to their performances in the previous edition and the qualifiers. Meanwhile, Thailand entered the next round by virtue of the host.
The official drawing ceremony is scheduled to take place in October 2019.
