Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam haveearned a berth at the Round of 16 of the ongoing 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup inLithuania, after a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic on September 19.
Both teams went into the match tiedon three points but Vietnam started the match on the backfoot as the Czech Republiccame close to scoring.
Vietnam also had their fair share ofchances but Nguyen Minh Tri and Vu Duc Tung both missed opportunities as thescore remained 0-0 going into the end of the first half.
It was the same scenario after the restartwith the Czechs dominating play but Vietnam broke the deadlock against the runof play in the 35th minute through Chau Doan Phat.
The lead, however, lasted for secondsas the Czech Republic equalised through Lukas Resetar's strike.
Vietnam - with four points - finishedthird in Group D but advanced to the next round as one of the best third-placedfinishers. They will play Russian players in the Round of 16.
After the match, Czech media highly valuedVietnam’s steadfastness.
Ceskatelevize stated that theCzechs were in trouble with Vietnam, but will not miss the playoffs.
It also cited the Czech Republic’s head coach TomasNeumann’s disappointment with the match result and his players’ performance, asthey missed many chances.
Irozhlas site wrote that in the lastninety seconds, coach Neumann took a risk as the Czechs used the power playtactic, but the next goal was not scored./.