Fine form: Naturalised striker Dinh Van Ta celebrates after scoring the first goal for Ninh Binh. Photo tuoitre.vn

NINH BINH (VNS)— Ninh Binh yesterday claimed their second victory in the qualifying round of the Asian Football Federation Cup, pushing them to the top of Group G.

The Vietnamese team triumphed over rival Yangon United of Myanmar 3-2 in the Cup's Group G match played out on home turf.

Determined to sweep a second consecutive win in the regional tournament, coach Nguyen Van Sy assigned five foreign players in the official team as planned, strikers Dinh Van Ta and Sim Woon Sub, and attackers Voinea Petrisor, Tambwe Patiyo, and Bryan Kavin.

In a similar strategy, the guest team also chose to deploy foreign players, with attacking pair Cezar Augusto and Emerson Reis, and Aleksandar Vasilev and Kazuki Yoshino in fullback positions.

The use of foreign players seemed to prove effective for both sides during the match at Ninh Binh Stadium.

Viet Nam's naturalised player Ta opened the match's score in the 12th minute. Luck struck again just four minutes later, Petrisor converted a pass from team mate Patiyo, planting a close header past the Yangon United goalie to extend the lead 2-0 for the Vietnamese side.

Minutes later, the Myanmar side returned fire, scoring their first goal in the 27th minute with a precision shot from Augusto. However, a penalty from Ta saw the first half end with a score of 3-1.

The second half saw a noticeable decline in engagement from both sides until the 88th minute, with Augusto nabbing a second goal for the side.

The victory catapulted Ninh Binh to the top of Group G's leader board with 6 points. In the opening match last month, the team defeated Hong Kong's South China 3-1. — VNS