Vietnam advance to the next round as Uzbekistan bow out in style

Vietnam clicked into gear in the second half to seal their place in Round 3, eventually seeing off a stubborn Jordan to claim top spot in Group B with a 2-0 win at Transportation Institute Stadium.

The Southeast Asians needed only a point to confirm their status as group winners, but they left the pitch with all three after Nguyen Thi Van and Hunyh Nhu scored within two minutes of each other to finally edge out Azzedine Chih's side in the second half.

With two wins under their belt going into the tie, Vietnam knew a defeat to Jordan and an Uzbekistan win over Hong Kong would be the only combination of results that could knock them off top spot, but they spent large periods of the match in a potentially perilous position.

A 0-0 stalemate at half-time, and regular news of Uzbek goals elsewhere, meant a single goal from Jordan could have been enough to throw Vietnam's Olympic dream into jeopardy, but Nguyen Thi Van's long-awaited opener in the 65th minute allowed them a collective sigh of relief.

With the pressure lifted, Huynh Nhu added a second two minutes later - ensuring she hit the back of the net in all three matches in Tashkent - to confirm Mai Duc Chung's side as one of the eight that will take part in Round 3 on the Road to Tokyo.