DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia -- A last minute-penalty by captain Nguyen Hong Son gave Vietnam a 1-0 victory over World Cup newcomers Mongolia in the Asian group 10.
The Vietnamese, favoured to finish second in the group behind Saudi Arabia, have struggled so far under new coach Edson (Dido) Silva with a draw against Bangladesh in the opening game.
Mongolia, who became fully-fledged members of FIFA only in 1998, held the 1998 Tiger Cup finalists until succumbing to virtually the last kick of the game.
Manager Canjour Bayarposgt refused to be downhearted.
"My team performed very well today against a side who have done very well at the Tiger Cup," he said. "It was good for the players. I brought in four new players and they did very
well, especially in the second half."
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