Vietnam snatches gold after sweeping Indonesia at SEA Games football

MANILA -- Vietnam men's U-22 Olympic football team defeated Indonesia 3-0 in the final play-off, attaining the gold at the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games football tournament here on Tuesday.

This is the first-ever SEA Games men's football gold medal for the Vietnamese after they collecting five silvers in previous editions.

Both teams had already played each other once in the group stage with the Vietnamese making a come-back win at last minutes 2-1.

However, the Golden Star Warriors gave the opponents no chance to take the lead this time and drew first blood by Doan Van Hau's header from a free-kick in the 40th minute.

The Vietnamese side doubled its lead as captain Do Hung Dung fired a shot inside the penalty area in 59th minutes.

Fourteen minutes later, Nguyen Hoang Duc's free-kick towards the far post was punched out by the Indonesian goalkeeper. Doan Van Hau tapped the ball in the net to score his second and make a 3-0 lead for Vietnam.

Although the over-excited coach Park Hang-seo was sent off at the 77th minute, his players of Vietnam strengthened the defense to keep a clean sheet till the final whistle.

In Tuesday's bronze medal game, Myanmar held a drew with Cambodia 2-2 in regular time and then eliminated it in penalties shoot-out 7-6.

In the women's football tournament, Vietnam defended its championship title after edging Thailand 1-0 on December 8. Pham Hai Yen's lone goal at the beginning of extra time was enough for her side to secure the gold.