Viet Nam thrashed Cambodia 3-0 in their final match in Group A of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 at Hanoi's Hang Day Stadium on 24 November evening.

Nguyen Tien Linh (in red) opens the score for Viet Nam at the 39th minute (Photo: VNA)

Korean head coach Park Hang-seo continued to make a surprise as he had some changes to the team's formation and players compared to the team's previous matches.

With solid defence and successful saves of the goalkeeper, the Cambodian side managed to stop many dangerous attacks of Viet Nam in the early time of the match.

Nguyen Tien Linh (Number 22) broke the deadlock to open the score for Viet Nam with a powerful header at the 39^th minute.

Two minutes later, Nguyen Quang Hai (Number 19) scored the second goal from a pass of Nguyen Phong Hong Duy (Number 12) from the left wing. 

At the 61^st minute, Phan Van Duc (Number 20) made the home crowds go wild again with a delicate shoot. His goal strengthened Viet Nam's top position in Group A.

Phan Van Duc (Number 20) celebrates his goal after scoring the third goal for Viet Nam. (Photo: VNA)

Meanwhile, Malaysia won Myanmar 3-0 in the concurrent match of Group A, qualifying for the semifinal of the regional football tournament.

With this result, Viet Nam topped Group A with 10 points (3 victories and one draw). Especially, the team kept a total clean sheet during the group stage.

On 2 December, the squad will play with the second-placed team from group B. The return leg of the semifinal match is scheduled to take place 4 days later.

In Group B, the Thailand-Singapore and Indonesia-Philippines matches will take place on 25 November evening.

In the tournament, Viet Nam beat Laos 3-0 in their first match of Group A at the Laos National Stadium in Vientiane on 8 November, and then Malaysia 2-0 in the second match at Ha Noi-based My Dinh National Stadium on 16 November.

On 20 November, the team drew 0-0 with Myanmar at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.

The AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 is taking place from 8 November to 15 December with 26 matches among 10 teams. Viet Nam are in Group A together with Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

This year, the AFF Suzuki Cup features a new playing format, with both home and away ties.

In the tournament’s history, Vietnam won the championship just once in 2008. With the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo and the current squad, both Vietnamese and Korean football fans are hopeful the S-shaped country’s team will take the trophy for the second time after 10 years awaiting.

(Source: VNA)