Dubai: Vietnam sealed their place in the Asian Cup quarter-finals, defeating Jordan 4-2 on penalties after their round of 16 clash ended in a 1-1 deadlock at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai yesterday.
Up next for Vietnam will be the winners of the Japan-Saudi Arabia last 16 game, with the quarter-final to be also played at the same venue.
Both teams started positively as they went in search of an early goal with the first shot on target for Jordan coming in the 17th minute when Baha' Abdelrahman forced Vietnam goalkeeper Dang Van Lam into action.
Three minutes later, Jordan came close again when Mousa Mohammad Suleiman lured three defenders out of position before his back-heel pass found unmarked Feras Zeyad Shilbaya, whose cross to Yaseen Mahmoud Bakheet saw his effort going wide.
Vietnam's best chance came in the 35th minute with Doan Van Hau unleashing a left-footed strike after an exchange of passes with Nguyen Cong Phuong but Jordanian custodian Amer Shafi was quick to parry his shot.
Jordan took the lead in the 38th minute after Do Hung Dung brought Salem Alajalin down just outside the box, and Abdelrahman scored from the resultant free-kick with a cracker into the top right corner of the net.
Park Hang-Seo's Vietnam returned from the break a changed side as they held the lion's share of possession.
Their hard work paid dividends just six minutes into the second half when Nguyen Trong Hoang sent in a curling cross in front of the goal mouth which Nguyen Cong Phuong squeezed past the Jordanian defenders for the equaliser.
Neither side managed to find the net in the remaining minutes, forcing the first ever Asian Cup last-16 tie to go into extra-time.
Both teams were unwilling to take risks in the extra-time and their goalkeepers were hardly called into action and penalties were needed to decide the tie.
It was a case of who would blink first in the shoot-out and Jordan were the first to miss with Baha Seif striking the crossbar which was followed by Ahmed Saleh's effort being saved by Vietnam goalkeeper Dang. Vietnam's Tran Minh Vuong then failed to put the game to bed but Bui Tien Dung made no mistake with the fifth shot as the Southeast Asians marched ahead.
