Viet Nam lost to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) 1-2 in their last group game on January 16, thus out of the ongoing 2020 AFC U23 Championship.

Team captains of Viet Nam Nguyen Quang Hai (in red) and the DPRK Ri Chung-gyu vie for the ball (Photo: VNA)

Viet Nam took the lead in the 17^th minute as Nguyen Tien Linh tapped in a cross from Ho Tan Tai.

Although the DPRK was already out of the race after two consecutive losses, they still showed determination and levelled ten minutes later with a free kick by Kang Kuk-chol.

Entering the second half, Viet Nam stepped up the game but their attackers missed various chances to score.

At the stroke of match’s end, Ri Chung-gyu converted a penalty into a goal for the DPRK while Vietnamese defender Tran Dinh Trong was sent off in injury time after receiving the second yellow card on the day.

In other fixture, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan had a 1-1 draw. With this result, the teams topped the group with five points and qualified for the knockout stages.

Viet Nam were eliminated from the continental tourney after two draws and one defeat.

(Source: VNA)