Uzbekistan edge gritty Vietnam for semi-final spot

Mashrab Adilov gave Uzbekistan the lead in the first half, while Choriev doubled their lead after the break but Vietnam responded quickly with Phung Trong Luan’s strike, only for Ilhomjon Hamroev to score in the final minute.

One of Vietnam’s key players, Pham Duc Hoa, missed out on the action after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stage, but the Southeast Asians were not discouraged and played with aggression from the get-go.

However, the 2016 runners-ups were unfazed, and Adilov even came close to opening the scoring for Uzbekistan in the fourth minute with his header after latching onto Davron Choriev’s deflected shot but it bounced off the upright.

The duo were at it again in the ninth minute, as Choriev launched a long range cross to the attacking third that caught Vietnam off guard, connecting with Adilov who easily beat ‘keeper Ngo Dinh Thuan to give Uzbekistan the lead.