BANGKOK – Le Cong Vinh scored the winner for the second successive King’s Cup match as Vietnam defeated Singapore 3-2 in a thrilling clash on Thursday to join AFC Asian Cup co-hosts Thailand in the final of the four-team tournament on December 30.

The Song Lam Nghe An striker, who scored a later winner against Kazakhstan on Tuesday, was again the hero for Vietnam as his header eight minutes from time gave them a place in the 37th King’s Cup final, where they will meet hosts Thailand who defeated Alfred Riedl’s side 2-1 in the tournament opener.

“I am happy that we are able to play a fourth game in this tournament as it is very good preparation for us,” said the Austrian, referring to both next month’s Asean Football Championship and the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup.

“We have been improving as this tournament (the King’s Cup) has been going on. You saw in the first game we didn’t play so well and the second a little better but still not so good but tonight we were better.

“We should have scored more goals. We had some good chances when we were 2-1 up and if we had gone 3-1 up then I don’t think Singapore are strong enough in my eyes to have come back from that.”

Singapore went into the match needing a win to keep alive their hopes of reaching Saturday’s final but the reigning Asean champions found themselves a goal down after just six minutes.

Phan Thanh Binh got on the end of Nguyen Vu Phong’s corner from the left and although Hassan Sunny, who came in to replace injured first choice keeper Lionel Lewis, got a hand to the ball, there was too much power on the Da Nang forward’s header.

Singapore responded quickly and were level within seven minutes through a Daniel Bennett free-kick.

Indra Sahdan Daud, starting only his second game since returning from a lengthy absence due to a cruciate injury, charged towards the Vietnam area and was upended by the outstretched leg of Nguyen Manh Dung, giving Thai referee Chaiwat Kunsutha no option but to award a direct free-kick 21-yards from Nguyen The Anh’s goal

Bennett placed the ball and drilled it low past the flimsy Vietnamese wall and The Anh’s right hand to draw Singapore level.

But just eight minutes after the interval Vietnam regained their lead when Le Tan Tai’s shot from the right side of the area deflected off Ismail Yunos, and looped over Hassan Sunny, who had looked as though he would have had the shot covered had it not spun off the Young Lions defender.

Singapore were unlucky not to level in the 58th minute when Itimi Dickson hit the inside of the post from close range while Indra’s attempt to net the rebound was thwarted by Vu Nhu Thanh.

However, parity was restored three minutes later as an unmarked Fazrul Nawaz, who replaced Noh Alam Shah at half-time, headed home an inch perfect cross from Shi Jia Yi.

Both teams chased the winner which eventually came eight minutes from time and went the way of Vietnam, when the ball was fed across the Singapore penalty area into the path of Le Cong Vinh, who swept in his second goal of the competition.

After Singapore’s second successive loss following their 2-1 reverse to hosts Thailand on Tuesday, Lions’ head coach Radojko Avramovic remarked:

“The match could have gone either way as we missed three good chances but Vietnam deserved their win.

“Although we didn’t make the final this tournament has been good for us. It has been good preparation for the Asean Football Federation Championship and it has been beneficial for our players.” Tuesday, January 02, 2007 at 3:34 PM