Kuala Lumpur: Indonesia handed Thailand an early setback in their bid for a 16th gold medal when they held the reigning champions to a 1-1 draw in their opening 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games Group B tie while Vietnam cruised to a 4-0 win over Timor Leste on Tuesday.
Having sealed their berth in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship last month, Thailand are looking to maintain their dominance at the ASEAN level and were quickly off the blocks against Indonesia at the Shah Alam Stadium.
Their opener, however, was a gift after Indonesian goalkeeper Kurniawan Kartika Ajie failed to hold on to a cross from the right in the 14th minute which Chaiyawat Buran gratefully tucked in.
Indonesia, who held Thailand to a scoreless draw in the Asian U-23 Qualifiers, had ended the first half on a high and continued to hold their own against Thailand when the match resumed and their efforts were rewarded when Osvaldo Ardiles was brought down in the penalty box by Worawut Namvech in the 60th minute.
Septian David made no mistake from the spot and Indonesia were level.
And Indonesia could have taken full points had it not been for alert Thai custodian Nont Muangngam, who dived low to palm away a blistering effort from Gavin Kwan in stoppage time.
Thailand face Timor-Leste next on August 17 while Indonesia will play the Philippines, who face Cambodia later on Tuesday.
Vietnam, who will also feature in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, started resoundingly as they look to end their long wait for the SEA Games gold medal - having last won the title in 1959 and finishing runners-up five times since 1995.
They enjoyed a dream start, opening the scoring in the eighth minute after Cong Phuong’s corner sent Timor-Leste into disarray in the penalty box, allowing Doan Van Hau to hit home from close range.
Tuan Anh could have widened their advantage three minutes later but his shot grazed the right side of the post.
Van Hau turned provider for Vietnam’s second goal, as his cross into the penalty area in the 20th minute resulted in Ha Duc Chinh heading home to double their tally.
Henrique Wilson came close to putting Timor-Leste on the scoresheet in the 34th minute but custodian Phi Minh Long was quick to deflect the shot.
Vietnam added a third four minutes before the break when Van Hau, unguarded just outside the penalty area, steered the ball into the net.
Having sealed the points in the first half, Vietnam took their foot off the pedal when the match resumed but there was still enough for a fourth as Cong Phuang completed an emphatic win in the 72nd minute.
Up next for Vietnam are Cambodia on August 17.
Group A
Results
August 14: Myanmar 2-0 Singapore, Malaysia 2-1 Brunei
Fixtures
August 16: Singapore v Malaysia, Myanmar v Laos
August 18: Laos v Singapore, Brunei v Myanmar
August 21: Brunei v Laos, Malaysia v Myanmar
August 23: Laos v Malaysia, Singapore v Brunei
Group B
Results
August 15: Indonesia 1-1 Thailand, Vietnam 4-0 Timor-Leste, Cambodia v Philippines
August 17: Vietnam v Cambodia, Indonesia v Philippines, Thailand v Timor-Leste
August 20: Philippines v Vietnam, Timor-Leste v Indonesia, Thailand v Cambodia
August 22: Cambodia v Timor-Leste, Philippines v Thailand, Vietnam v Indonesia
August 24: Indonesia v Cambodia, Thailand v Vietnam, Timor-Leste v Philippines
August 26: Semi-finals
August 29: Final
Photo: MASOC
Source: the-afc.com