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Vietnam won the Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament following a 3-0 win over India at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday, September 27.
The Blue Tigers looked out of depth for most of the game while Vietnam oozed quality and displayed their growth over the past few years.
After a disappointing 1-1 draw against a lower-ranked Singapore team in their first friendly, Indian head coach Igor Stimac opted for three changes to his starting line-up. Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, and Udanta Singh replaced Narender Gahlot, Naorem Roshan Singh, and Liston Colaco.
Yet, right from the get-go, Vietnam displayed their superiority on the ball as they controlled the momentum and the progression of the play. Even when the Blue Tigers won the ball, they weren't clinical enough to take advantage.
The first effort of the game came via Ho Tan Tai's long-ranger in the 10th minute. Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu did well to parry the ball away for a corner.
However, the resulting corner was when the hosts drew the first blood. A mix-up between Gurpreet and Sandesh led to a loose ball in the centre of the Indian box. Phan Van Duc volleyed the ball towards Gurpreet, who made a mess of a customary save and the ball ended up in back of the net.
With the lead in the bag, Vietnam started extending their control as they created one chance after another. India, meanwhile, had a rare opportunity in the 26th minute when they caught the hosts on the counter. Akash Mishra drilled in a ball for Ashique Kuruniyan from the left, but the latter failed to keep his grounded effort on target.
India were struck with more misery when Sahal Abdul Samad had to be substituted in the 38th minute owing to an injury. Fellow Kerala Blasters FC midfielder Rahul KP took his place on the pitch.
Just in the dying minutes of the first half, Sunil Chhetri found himself on the receiving end of a delightful cross from Akash Mishra but the skipper's header flew wide. Going into the half-time break, Vietnam were in the driver's seat.
Vietnam dominate proceedings throughout the second half
Carrying on the momentum from the first 45, Vietnam started the second half with equal vigor and pragmatism. In the 49th minute itself, they carved open the Blue Tigers' defense when Van Toan outmuscled Anwar Ali, who was the last defender to latch on to a long ball. One-on-one with the keeper, Toan kept his composure and found the bottom corner with ease.
The Golden Star Warriors doubled their lead and looked eager to add a few more. Stimac, in the hope of countering their attacking play, brought on Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, and Roshan Singh in place of Sunil, Chinglensana, and Udanta.
However, in the 71st minute, Vietnam made it 3-0 when substitute Van Quyet latched on to a headed clearance from Jhingan and buried it past Gurpreet.
Vietnam looked like they would add a few more. They could have, if not for Gurpreet. The Indian custodian stepped in with two clutch saves to keep the scoreline at 3-0.
While all Indian players will now quickly return to their respective club duties, the performances in the two friendlies could be warning signs ahead of the all-important AFC Asian Cup next year.
