Vietnam in last 16 with facile 2-0 win over Nepal at Asian Games

The game kicked off at 7 p.m. local time at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium in West Java, Indonesia.

Vietnamese players entered the game in white and Nepal in red.

By the 19th minute, Vietnam made several attacks but missed the target.

Nearly half an hour of play, Vietnam was attacking from both flanks, but not able to breach Nepal's defense.

In the 31st minute, Vietnam scored its first goal.

Nguyen Anh Duc, wearing jersey number 11, headed into the net from close quarter after collecting a pass from Phan Van Duc (20) on the left flank. Both are the two Vietnamese attackers in the game.

The game entered the second half.

Nepal kicked off the second half in a more attacking mood, but did not make an impression on the Vietnamese defense.

Vietnam also missed two major shots 15 minutes into the second half.

At the 63rd minute, Vietnam struck again.

It's Van Duc's turn to score as Anh Duc returned a favor, stealing the ball from Nepal and making a neat pass. Vietnam was two up.

At minute 76, Vietnam's midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong had a shot saved by the goalkeeper.

For the last minutes of the game, Vietnam was more defensive.

On Tuesday, Vietnam coasted to a 3-0 win over Pakistan, but head coach Park Hang-seo was underwhelmed. The team “did not meet my expectations,” he said.

Stressing the importance the game against Nepal, Park said: “This match is a decisive one as it’s our ticket to the next round, so the team will have to put maximum effort into it.”

As Vietnam has now defeated Nepal, it will advance to round of 16 in Asiad 2018.

At the moment, Vietnam shares the top position of Group D with Japan, each scoring six points with five goals. The teams will meet on Sunday afternoon.

Vietnam faces sterner tests in the next round, but fans are thrilled and expectant.

We hope you enjoyed the game, and look forward to reporting upcoming games in greater detail.

Photos by Duc Dong, Lam Thoa