Football
Gabriel Tan 9y

Vietnam join Philippines in Suzuki Cup semifinals

2008 champions Vietnam finished top of Group A with a 3-1 win over Philippines and booked their place in the semifinals of the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup on Friday evening.

The hosts opened the scoring at the My Dinh National Stadium after eight minutes when Ngo Hoang Thinh was presented with a shooting opportunity from 30 yards. The midfielder's probing long-range effort slipped under Philippines goalkeeper Patrick Deyto.

Five minutes into the second half, Vietnam doubled their advantage. Midfielder Vu Minh Tuan broke into the box and clinically fired into the bottom corner after charging past Daisuke Sato down the right.

The Vietnamese then put the result beyond doubt in the 58th minute through a fantastic strike by Pham Thanh Luong. The winger - who had played an important role in Vietnam's 2008 title triumph -- found space on the edge of the area and unleashed a ferocious effort that flew past Deyto.

The Azkals managed to pull one back a minute later when Paul Mulders met Jerry Lucena's cross from the right wing with a neat finish that looped over the stranded Vietnam custodian Tran Nguyen Manh. However, the tournament co-hosts comfortably held out for the win.

Vietnam will now meet the runners-up of Group B in the semifinal. Philippines -- who had already qualified for the semifinals winning their first two group matches -- will face a tough test against the winners of Group B, most likely to be Thailand.

The host nation's victory also meant Indonesia missed out on the semifinals despite claiming a 5-1 triumph over Laos at the Hang Dai Stadium.

Midfielder Evan Dimas fired Garuda in front in the ninth minute after skipping past Keoviengpheth Lithideth on the edge of the box and smashing a shot into the top corner. Winger Ramdhani Lestaluhu made it 2-0 in the 20th minute with a neat finish after being picked out by Cristian Gonzales' lay-off.

Laos were however given a lifeline in the 28th minute when striker Khampheng Sayavutthi scored from the spot after Vilayout Sayyabounsou had been brought down inside the box by Supardi Nasir, who was shown a straight red card.

Despite the numerical deficit, Indonesia reclaimed their two-goal lead in the 50th minute after Evan raced through down the left and slid a cross to the far post. Ramdhani made no mistake with the easy tap in.

Alfred Riedl's charges scored two more in the final eight minutes. A lovely volley from forward Zulham Zamrun in the 82nd minute made it 4-1. Ketsada Souksavanh's own goal with one minute remaining completed Laos' night of misery.

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