Hanoi: Vietnam and DPR Korea played to a 1-1 draw in their friendly at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Tuesday.



The teams are preparing for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and the match allowed the coaches of both teams to have an indepth look at their respective sides before the Continental showpiece kicks off on January 5.

Vietnam, fresh from winning the 2018 AFF Championship, took the lead in the 54th minute through Nguyen Tien Linh.

DPR Korea, however, fought back to equalise through Jong Il-Gwan in the 81st minute.



Vietnam, who will be appearing in the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since they co-hosted the 2007 edition, are in Group D along with three-time champions Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq and Yemen.

Park Hang-seo's side will be confident of their chances as Vietnam have enjoyed a successful 2018. Besides winning the 2018 AFF Cup, the Golden Dragons finished runners-up in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and fourth in the 2018 Asian Games Indonesia.

DPR Korea will also be on a mission as they are determined to advance to the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after having been eliminated at the group stage in the last two editions.

Kim Yong-jun's side will play in Group E with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon.

Photos: AFP


Source: the-afc.com