Vietnam win Eximbank Football Cup

By Vu Duc - The Saigon Times Daily Vietnam players celebrate after winning the Eximbank Cup at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Saturday - Photo: Ba Chau HCMC – Vietnam’s U-23 football team won the international Eximbank Cup after beating Iran U21 2-0 in Saturday’s final at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Saturday. Singapore U23 secured third place when they tied goalless with Malaysia in Saturday’s earlier game. Both Vietnam and Iran went into the final with four points from the two opening games, but because of goal difference Iran only needed a draw while Vietnam needed to win. The home side had beaten Malaysia 2-1 in the opener and tied goalless with Singapore in the second game, while Iran drew 1-1 with Singapore in the first game and beat Malaysia 2-0 in the second game. Vietnam’s coach Phan Thanh Hung used the strongest squad in hopes of keeping the cup at home. He only used eight key players from the SEA Games line up as they had lost 1-0 to Malaysia in the finals of the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) last December in Laos. Iran controlled the ball in the first minutes, however, under heavy pressure from local fans at Thong Nhat Stadium, the hosts regained composure. Striker Nguyen Anh Duc opened the score at 44 minutes with a header after receiving the ball from midfielder Nguyen Duc Thien in the penalty box. Vietnam was reduced to 10 men in early minutes of the second half when striker Nguyen Anh Duc was sent off with a red card. The visitors tried to exploit the advantage, vainly putting more pressure on the Vietnamese defense. Substitute player Hoang Dinh Tung, who replaced Nguyen Thanh Trung in the 50th minute, doubled the score in the 80th minute. Tung broke the offside trap before beating Iran’s goalie at the near post. The round robin was a celebration of the 1,000 anniversary of the Thang Long - Hanoi. Vietnam won with seven points earning them $20,000. Iran finished second with US$10,000. The Singapore side pocketed US$5,000.