Tien Linh's hat-trick hands Vietnam U22s second consecutive win

The Becamex Binh Duong forward gifted Park Hang-seo's side a two-goal lead going into halftime before joining Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Trong Hoang and Nguyen Quang Hai to score four additional goals in the second half to seal an emphatic win for the Vietnamese team.

Despite playing on the back foot throughout the match, Laos U22s managed to earn a consolation goal thanks to Phetsivilay Kaharn's attempt on the hour mark.

The convincing victory has allowed Park's side to sit firmly on top of Group B with six points, three clear of Thailand, who saw off Brunei 7-0 in another group match on the same day.

Vietnam U22s headed into the match with their confidence strongly boosted by the commanding 6-0 win against Brunei three days ago.

Possessing a superior lineup, Park's troops dominated possession right from the start and needed only three minutes to go ahead, with Tien Linh stealing the ball from a Lao defender before shooting past goalkeeper Xaysavath.

The advantage was doubled for the Vietnamese side 14 minutes later, as Tien Linh sped up to take a clever through ball from Tan Tai and placed a low shot toward the far corner of the goal.

Vietnam U22s could have brought a three-goal lead into halftime, but Doan Van Hau was denied a 19^th-minute goal due to an offside.

The match scenario remained unchanged after the break, as Vietnamese players continued to pour constant pressure on the Lao side, with Trieu Viet Hung striking over the crossbar in the first five minutes.

Hung Dung broke the offside trap to make it 3-0 for Vietnam U22s in the 54^th minute before Tien Linh completed his hat-trick with a close-range shot three minutes later.

On the hour mark, Laos made use of a rare opportunity to pull a goal back, as Phetsivilay Kaharn headed home from a right-wing freekick to force the Vietnamese team to concede the first goal in this year's SEA Games.

However, that was all that they could do in the match, as in the remaining minutes, Trong Hoang received a long pass from Thanh Son to make it 5-1 (84') before captain Nguyen Quang Hai slotted in from close range in stoppage time to round up a convincing 6-1 triumph for Park's side.

The second win in a row has helped Vietnam U22s to stay on top of the group three points clear of second-placed Thailand, while keeping Park's troops on the right track towards realising their SEA Games gold medal ambition in the Philippines.