By a Staff Reporter
Nepal suffers a hefty defeat over the hosts Vietnam in an ongoing AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers. Vietnam scored 5 past visitors Nepal at Phu Tho Provincial Stadium on Friday.

A dominant display from Vietnam took them 4-0 up at the interval. Skipper Nguyen Cong Phuong put Vietnam ahead 7 minutes after match referee Kasahara Hiroki blew the kick-off whistle. Cong’s shot from just outside the box found the bottom corner of the goalpost.
Vietnam doubled its lead in the 12th minute. Bui Hoang Son headed the ball home off Vi Dinh Thuong’s freekick. Vi Dinh then beautifully curved the ball in the 16th minute. Nguyen’s through pass was perfectly netted by Le Dinh Long Vu in the 29th minute of the match. Vietnamese goalkeeper Phai Dinh Hai well blocked Harish Raj Bhatta’s attempt in the 37th minute.
Following the comfortable lead, Vietnam’s coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan rested Phung Van Nam, Nguyen Cong Phuong, and Bui Hoang Son after halftime. Huynh Van Danh, Dam Trong Phuc, and Nguyen Hoang Ang replaced them.
Vietnam created numerous chances to keep Nepali players busy throughout the second half and added apiece to the goal tally. Vietnam put ice on the cake in 3rd minute of the injury time. Phan Thanh Duc Thien’s freekick from the edge of the box was blocked by Semanta Thapa at first. Dam Trong Phuc found the rebound which got blocked again by Madan Poudel. Huynh Van Danh then made no mistake and scored a volley on the third attempt.
With the second consecutive defeat, Nepal failed to make it to the final round of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023. In the first match of the day Thailand beat Chinese Taipei 3-1. While Vietnam and Thailand have bagged 6 points each, Nepal and Chinese Taipei are yet to earn any points. Both teams will face each other on 9th October at 2:45 PM NST. Vietnam will take on Thailand in the group winner decisive match on the same day.
Nepal is drawn alongside Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and hosts Vietnam in Group F. A total of 44 teams are drawn into 10 groups where each group winner and six best runners-up will qualify for the final round.