Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Taipei: Mohamad Awalluddin Nawi struck with just 2.5 seconds on the clock as Malaysia sealed a dramatic 2-1 win over Vietnam in Group A of the AFC Futsal Championship Chinese Taipei 2018 on Thursday.
It was an end to end encounter between the two Southeast Asian sides, with Vietnam finding the back of the net late in the first half, before Awalluddin equalised for Malaysia in the 36th minute and then turning hero with the winner.
Vietnam had the better start with several shots on target, but after racking up three fouls in just two minutes, they had to take their aggressive play down a notch which gave Malaysia some room to breathe.
Malaysia had very few opportunities to cross over into opposition territory, and had to make the best of every chance and came close in the sixth minute but goalkeeper Ngo Dinh Thuan pulled off a superb double save from Syed Aizad Daniel and Yazid Kamaruzan to deny Malaysia an early advantage.
In the 14th minute, Vietnam moved on a counter with Phung Trong Luan surging down the middle before a swift through pass found Vu Duc Tung in the box, but his shot was slightly off the mark.
A minute from half-time, Vietnam’s dynamic duo was at it again as Trong Luan’s pass found Duc Tung on the right flank and he made no mistake with his twist and turn strike into the bottom right of the net to take the lead at the Xinzhuang Stadium.