The first half was a cagey affair as both teams opted for safety, leading to limited chances at both ends of the pitch.

 

Nguyen Hoang Duc had the first opportunity but was forced to the line by his marker, failing to trouble Indonesian goalkeeper Muhammad Adisatryo.

Rafael Struick then embarked on a run before cutting in from the left but his shot didn’t have the power to trouble the lanky Nguyen Filip in Vietnam’s goal.

 

There was a nervous moment towards the end of the first half when Adisatryo fumbled a routine catch but luckily for him, there were no Vietnamese players nearby to capitalise on his mistake.

The game sparked into life early in the second half, Pratama Arhan’s long throw caused panic in Vietnam’s box with Vo Minh Trong misjudging the flight of the ball and his miskick allowed Egy Maulana Fikri to sweep home from close range in the 52nd minute.

 

Seeking to restore parity, Vietnam head coach Philippe Troussier sent on forward Nguyen Tien Linh and dynamic full-back Vu Van Thanh for Nham Manh Dung and Nguyen Dinh Bac respectively.

With 10 minutes left to play, Vietnam finally produced their first opportunity of the second half, a free-kick from the left found Ho Tan Tai at the back post but the 26-year-old couldn’t direct his header on target.

 

Despite Vietnam’s possession and pressure, Shin Tae-yong’s side defended resolutely to clinch a valuable win.