Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam national under-23 team defended their AFF U23 Championship title with a 6-5 victory againstIndonesia in penalty shootout in Rayong Stadium, Thailand on August 26 night.

After a goalless 120 minutes, the match had to be decided onpenalties, with keeper Quan Van Chuan proving to be the hero saving a penaltyfrom Ernando Ari.

The match started with Indonesia's young starlets on the frontfoot. Vietnam had to deal with enormous pressure and forced to playdefensively.
In the 26th minute, Rifky Setiawan's free kick from 20 metrescould have opened the score for Shin Tae-yong's men, had it not been for Chuan'sacrobatics.

Five minutes later, Vietnam replied with a great opportunity forNguyen Minh Quang on the counter. Quang was through on goal, but his shot hitthe outside of the post. As he went for the rebound, Quang was brought down byAlfeandra Dewangga inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Nguyen Quoc Viet, a scorer in the semifinal win over Malaysia, stepped up, buthis penalty was saved by Ernando.

After Viet’s miss, Indonesia had even more mental advantages on their side, andtook full control of the game. This momentum carried on into the second half,as the men from Indonesia created more opportunities than Vietnamese.

The most dangerous of which came in the 77th minute, when SanantaRamadhan's free kick rattled not only the crossbar, but the hearts ofVietnamese fans everywhere.

The game was also notably plagued with vicious fouls and tacklesfrom both sides, but Vietnam, having learned their lessons in the group stagematch against Philippines, kept their cool and stayed strong in defence for therest of the match.

In extra time, as fatigue kicked in, both teams played morecarefully and the match ended goalless after 120 minutes.

Five players from both sides confidently took their spot kicks,until keeper Ernando stepped up to take the sixth penalty.

Having saved a penalty earlier in the first half, Ernando couldhave been the hero for Indonesia, but fate chose Van Chuan, as the Hanoi FCgoalkeeper pushed away Ernando's shot, in an ironically similar fashion toErnando's earlier save against Quoc Viet.

18-year-old Thai Ba Dat, one of Vietam’s rising stars, thensuccessfully took the decisive kick that gave Vietnam victory and the title.

The win marked Vietnam’s successful title defence, after successat the 2022 AFF U23 Championship in Cambodia.

After the tournament, some of the players will be chosen to joinwith Philippe Troussier's Vietnam Under-23 team, who are preparing for the AFCU23 Asian Cup qualifiers in September./.