Football: Vietnam retain Asean top spot despite Singapore stalemate

Vietnam were held to a 0-0 draw by Singapore on Friday (Dec 30) as both nations kept their hopes of a place in the semi-finals of the Asean Championships alive with one round of the regional tournament remaining.

The Vietnamese, who last won the Southeast Asian title in 2018, continue to lead Group B on goal difference from Singapore with the pair level on seven points, one ahead of third-placed Malaysia.

Singapore face the Malaysians in their final group game on Tuesday knowing a draw will take them into the knockout rounds for the second tournament in a row.

Vietnam, meanwhile, will meet already-eliminated Myanmar, who drew 2-2 draw with Laos in Yangon.

Soukaphone Vongchiengkham gave the Laotians a 12th minute lead only for Kyaw Min Oo to level three minutes later.

Ekkamai Ratxachak restored the visitors' advantage a minute into the second half before Maung Maung Lwin scored six minutes into injury time to earn Myanmar a share of the points.

Ten Southeast Asian nations have been facing off in the competition since Dec 20, with the teams split across two groups and playing one another on a single round-robin basis.

The top two sides in each group will advance to the semi-finals, which will be played on a home-and-away basis on Jan 6 and 9, with the final to be held on Jan 13 and 16.

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