Vietnam, Singapore hold each other for a boring draw

The Vietnamese national soccer team failed to break through Singapore's defense during their third Group B match of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 on December 30.

Vietnam's deep-lying forward Nguyen Van Quyet (number 10) holds onto the ball in the match held in Singapore on December 30. Photo: Vietnamplus

Both teams began the match with a cautious stance. Vietnam gradually took control of the match and pushed Singapore’s defensive line down to its own goal.

Starting with a 3-5-2 formation, Vietnam focused to attack the flanks on the mobility of the two wingbacks.

In the 20th and 24th minutes, deep-lying forward Nguyen Van Quyet and box-to-box midfielder Do Hung Dung took the shots but their attempts were inches off the target.

Singapore tried to organize some counter-attacks. In the 28th minute, striker Ilhan Fandi Ahmad received the ball inside Vietnam’s box but his left-foot shot was way off target.

In the second half, Vietnam made some changes to bring key players onto the field, showing determination to win the match.

In the 84th minute, central midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc took the shot from about 25 meters but his attempt hit the post.

Singapore hardly had any attacking moves on Vietnam’s goal. The two teams ended the match on a boring goalless draw.

After the latest match, Vietnam maintained its top spot in Group B with 7 points. In the last round, Vietnam will face Myanmar while Singapore will meet Malaysia on January 3.

Vietnam’s head coach Park Hang-Seo said in the post-match press conference that Vietnamese players will try to win over Myanmar in the last group match.

He also credited Singaporean players for having a good match. “I made some changes for today’s match,” coach Park said, admitting Vietnam did not play well as expected.

“It was not the first time I rotated the team. We have 23 players and everyone must get well-prepared all the time.”