Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dushanbe: Hassan Amin’s unstoppable strike five minutes after Nguyen Van Toan’s second half opener for Vietnam earned Afghanistan a 1-1 draw in Tuesday’s hard-fought 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying opener.
Van Toan struck four minutes after the hour mark at the Republican Central Stadium as the striker followed up to head home from close range after Afghanistan goalkeeper Ovays Azizi had spectacularly saved a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.
But Afghanistan did not have to wait long to draw level as Amin unleashed a perfectly struck first-time strike from just outside the penalty area which gave the Vietnam goalkeeper no chance.
Vietnam enjoyed the better of the early exchanges as Vu Minh Tuan wasted an early opportunity, with Afghanistan struggling to find a foothold in the game.
They did manage to keep Vietnam at bay until the end of the first half as Ding Thang Trung’s effort was saved by Afghanistan goalkeeper Azizi.
Vietnam continued to dominate at the start of the second half and deservedly took the lead after 64 minutes as Nguyen Van Quyet’s free-kick was parried by a diving Azizi, but the ball was diverted back into the centre of the goal and Van Toan was the quickest to react to head the ball into the unguarded net.
But despite having struggled to create any chances of note, Afghanistan were back on level terms inside five minutes as Amin rifled home.
That set up a tense finish, but despite the best efforts of both sides, neither was able to find a breakthrough in the closing stages.