2016 AFC U-23 Championship Day 6 Recap

PFDC – DOHA, Group D action continued today as the Aussies looked to get back on track while a match between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates produced some chances but no goals.

At the Grand Hamad Stadium, Australia got off to a fast start against Vietnam with a goal in the second minute.

A corner kick by the Australians was headed down by Vietnamese defender Dao Duy Khanh to the top of the six-yard box where defender James Donachie scored with ease as his shot made the ball bounce off the bottom of the crossbar.

Australia nearly scored a second goal later in the half when Alexander Gersbach’s freekick near the corner flag was sent in and headed by Dao Duy Khanh off of his own post.

On the other end of the field, Australian defender Jason Geria made a nice play to stop a centering pass in the six-yard box to prevent the Vietnamese side from scoring the equalizer.

The second goal for Australia came at the hour mark when the Vietnamese just could not clear the ball to safety. First the Vietnamese broke a cardinal rule of football by sending the ball to the center of their own penalty area where Geria was waiting at the top of the eighteen yard box. Geria sent the loose ball back into the penalty area where midfielder Huynh Tan Tai’s hard shot hit the face of Donachie. Unluckily for Vietnam, the ball went right to an unmarked Andrew Hoole at the left side of the six-yard box. A quick one-touch pass to Jamie McLaren was finished off perfectly as the Australians lead 2-0.

The Vietnamese players gave it their all but the Aussies were the better side as they are now back on track in their quest to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

In the other Group D match, at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, Jordan and UAE played out a scoreless draw. The draw means that Vietnam have been eliminated and the top two spots in the group will be fought out between UAE, Jordan, and Australia.

Group D Schedule for January 20

Jordan v Australia
UAE v Vietnam

Image courtesy of the-afc.com