Vietnam are out as S'pore make semis

Hanoi - Singapore made sure of their place in the semifinals of the Tiger Cup on Wednesday, easily defeating Cambodia 3-0 to confirm an embarrassing first round exit for host nation Vietnam.

Vietnam had gone into the final round of Group A games needing a victory over Laos and hoping that Singapore somehow failed to beat the Cambodians. The hosts registered a lacklustre 3-0 win over Laos but Singapore were always in control against Cambodia to spell doom for Vietnam.

It was the first time Vietnam have failed to reach the second round since the tournament was launched in 1996.

Indonesia finished top of Group A with ten points from three victories and one draw out of four games, yet to concede a goal. Singapore ranked second with eight points from two victories and two draws with Vietnam coming third, one point behind.

In group B, Malaysia is already qualified and could be joined Thursday by underdogs Myanmar if the latter beat debutants East Timor.

Vietnam had been left with a mountain to climb after their defeat by Indonesia last Saturday, a result which prompted the resignation of their Brazilian coach Edson Tavares.

They got off to a dream start when some comical defending involving the Laos goalkeeper gifted an opener to Le Cong Vinh after only seven minutes. An error-ridden first half saw Vietnam struggle to extend their lead however and they had to wait until the 42nd minute to double their tally, Nguyen Minh Phuong making it 2-0 after a sweeping attack down the left flank.

Vietnam laboured to make the game safe and only made sure of victory when Khanh scored on 74 minutes.

Vietnam -- runners-up when the country last hosted the tournament in 1998 -- leave the cup after two wins against the group minnows but only one draw and a defeat against the two established teams, Singapore and Indonesia.

Vietnam's victory was made redundant by Singapore's win in the simultaneous tie with Cambodia.

The match resembled a training exercise for the Singaporeans, who scored through Nigerian-born striker Itimi Dickson and an own-goal from Cambodia keeper Thai Sineth before a second-half effort from Mohammed Khairul Amri.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin