Kuala Lumpur: Thailand opened their AFC U20 Futsal Championship 2019 ASEAN Zone Qualifiers with a win against Malaysia, while Vietnam claimed their first win on Thursday.
The ASEAN Zone has a total of five teams - Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - and will play in a league format, wherein the top three teams will qualify for the Finals next year.
MALAYSIA 2-4 THAILAND
Bangkok: Thailand overcame a resilient Malaysian side to power to a 4-2 win at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.
Malaysia, who had beaten Myanmar 1-0 the day before, came back from a goal down twice but the host nation flexed their muscles in the second half to seal the win.
Host and semi-finalists of the inaugural edition in 2017, Thailand, exerted dominance as early as the second minute with Somchai Auyongseng finding the back of the net, only for Muhammad Ekmal Shahrin, who was Malaysia’s hero on Wednesday, to score the equaliser in the 10 minute.
Within the first two minutes after the break, Thailand regained their lead through Nattasak Photi but were back on equal footing a minute later, courtesy of Muhamad Zakyr Asraf’s effort.
The contest between the two sides was serious, and Malaysia had little time to celebrate as the hosts pulled ahead once again just a minute later with Thawatchai Rairat’s goal in the 24th minute.
Jose Maria Pazos Mendez’s side eventually secured the win when Supakorn Sangom scored the winner at the half hour mark.
Thailand will take on Myanmar, followed by Malaysia’s clash with Indonesia on Friday.
MYANMAR 1-2 VIETNAM
Vietnam climbed to the top of the standings after beating Myanmar 2-1.
With only three spots for the ASEAN Zone in the Finals, both sides came out looking to stamp a win and claim all three points, and within the first eight minutes of the match, Myanmar and Vietnam scored a goal each, with Luaw Zar Yar Lwin and Nguyen Huynh Thanh Huy scoring respectively.
Myanmar, who lost to Malaysia on Wednesday, fought to secure the lead but it was Vietnam who came out on top in the first half when Phat found the back of the net on 14 minutes.
The second half saw some near misses for both teams, but Myanmar would rue their missed chances as they suffered their second loss with two games left to play.
Vietnam will continue their qualifying campaign on Saturday against host nation Thailand.
Photos: Football Association of Thailand
Source: the-afc.com