Jubilation time: Vietnamese players celebrate after Tan Tai scores a goal, giving Viet Nam a 1-0 lead in the match with Myanmar in the opening game of the AFF Suzuki Cup in Thailand on Saturday. — Photo vnexpress.net

HA NOI (VNS)— Viet Nam drew 1-1 with Myanmar in the opening game of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday.

"Our goal is to reach the final. We have two games left to make that happen and we are confident that we will secure a place," said Vietnamese assistant coach Hoang Anh Tuan after the match.

Heavy rain prevented the two teams from finding much rhythm, and the game was a scrappy affair.

Viet Nam had the better of the first half, and were the first to find the net with a goal coming after 34 minutes, courtesy of Tan Tai who met a Thanh Luong free kick with a firm header.

Viet Nam grew in confidence as the half progressed but they failed to add to their tally.

After the break, Myanmar played defensively and waited for chances to attack on the counter. They found a way through against the run of play when Kyi Lin was clearly fouled in the box by Minh Duc after 53 minutes. Lin made no mistake with the resultant spot kick and levelled the score.

"That was a primitive mistake, and we were punished. Duc didn't play well today but he is a good player. Any player can make mistakes," said Tuan.

In the 70th minute, Quoc Anh should have put Viet Nam back in front after receiving a fine pass from Trong Hoang, but his shot went wide of the post.

One minute later, things looked like they were set to get even worse when Myanmar were awarded a second penalty. This time Phyo Aung stepped up to the spot but he missed.

Relieved and hungry, Viet Nam pressed relentlessly in the last few minutes, winning several corners, free-kicks and doing their best to break down the solid Myanmar defence. In the end though, Myanmar held firm.

"We made many mistakes in both defence and attack. The rain stopped us from controlling the ball as well as we would have liked. We were also surprised by Myanmar's physical strength. They caused us difficulties with their strength," said vice-captain Tai.

"We had the lead but failed to capitalise. We will be improved for the next matches with the Philippines on Tuesday and Thailand on Friday," he added.

Soe Moe, head of Myanmar side was delighted with his team's determined display. "We are very happy with the draw. The whole team played well and we are very satisfied with their competitive spirit.

Viet Nam won the Cup in 2008, but lost their crown in 2010. — VNS