Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With the 2016 edition of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship now underway, the-afc.com takes a walk down memory lane with a look at some of the most memorable and dramatic encounters in the history of Southeast Asia’s regional showpiece.
1) Semi-final: November 19 2000. Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok.
Vietnam 2 (Nguyen Hong Son 45, Vu Cong Tuyen 90)
Indonesia 3 (Genduit Doni Cristiawan 39, 120, Matheus Nurdiantara 75)
(after extra time)
Vietnam excelled in the first two editions of the AFF Championship without winning the title. A third place finish in the inaugural 1996 tournament was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Singapore in the final on home soil two years later. The Golden Stars, under Austrian Alfred Riedl, arrived in Thailand in 2000 hoping the pattern of improvement would continue and bring them their first ever international trophy.
They performed strongly to top Group A, racking up ten points and 12 goals in four matches, with Vu Cong Tuyen and Le Huynh Duc getting on the scoresheet three times each, while Indonesia finished second in Group B. Under the rules of early AFF Championship tournaments, Vietnam and Indonesia’s semi-final in Bangkok had to be decided in 90 or 120 minutes, rather than over two-legs. As it transpired, each and every one of those minutes was required to produce a winner.
Indonesia took the lead after 39 minutes when Genduit Cristiawan punished Vietnam goalkeeper Ming Quang’s mistake of misreading the flight of a cross from the left by heading into a virtually empty net, but their defence was to be exposed just before half-time when a sharp Vietnam counter attack was emphatically finished off by Nguyen Hong Son.
Indonesia’s Nurdintara put his country back in front after 75 minutes when he had the skill and composure to steer the ball into the net after it ricocheted off the crossbar from Cristiawan’s thunderous long-range effort. However, Vietnam weren’t finished yet. Once again they scored in injury time – on this occasion through tournament star Cong Tuyen – to force extra-time.
Then, in the 121st minute and with a nerve-shredding penalty shootout just seconds away, Cristiawan overcame a poor first touch to get the ball under control and fire home after Quang was caught out of position. The goal, his fifth of the tournament, gave Indonesia a memorable win and assured them of a spot in their maiden AFF Championship Final.
2) Semi-final Second Leg: January 2 2005, National Stadium, Singapore
Singapore 4 (Zaw Lynn Tun 74 (o.g.), Alam Shah 94, 96, Casmir 108)
Myanmar 2 (Min 15, Moe 50)
(Singapore wins 8-5 on aggregate, after extra-time.)
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