Vietnamese fans had much to cheer about as their team went one better than the national football federation’s semi-final target, storming into the final of the 2008 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup beating Singapore in an away match by a solitary goal.

The pressure was on both teams after a goalless draw in the first leg of the semifinal in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Substitute striker Quang Hai tucked in deft pass from Vietnam’s top striker Le Cong Vinh in the 74th minute, just seven minutes after he was sent in to replace forward Nguyen Viet Thang.

This match was won by the whole team, however. Every player, especially goalie Duong Hong Son, had to stave off relentless attacks from the Singaporean forwards.

Vietnam will play the final match of the AFF Cup for the first time in 10 years. In the final of the 1998 Tiger Cup (as it was known then), Vietnam lost by a similar margin to Singapore in Hanoi.

The defending champions hadn’t put their best foot forward on Wednesday while Vietnam put in an excellent performance.

However, with the advantage of playing on home soil Sunday, the Lions started the match with confidence and great efforts, launching attack after attack from the very beginning.

In Singapore’s front line, Nigerian Singaporean striker Agu Casmir was paired with experienced striker Alam Shah who put constant pressure on Vietnam.

In the first 19 minutes, Alam Shah had two shots at the goal. The first one was blocked by a Vietnamese defender and the second went just wide.

For the first half-an-hour or so, the Vietnamese strikers didn’t have a clear chance and the defenders had a difficult time keeping the Singaporean attacks at bay. Then the midfielders and strikers began to combine better and show good control of the ball, making it difficult for Singapore to launch as many attacks as they had at the beginning.

Singapore almost took the lead two minutes before half time when a Jiayi corner caused a mix-up in Vietnam’s six-yard area, but midfielder Thanh Luong appeared just in time to kick the ball away.

Vietnam’s performance towards the end of the first half promised an improved show in the second.

Singapore continued their attack as soon as the second half whistle went off, and created two chances in as many minutes, but neither Alam Shah nor Jiayi were able to convert.

Vietnam’s midfielder Vu Phong tried shooting from a distance in the 55th minute and Thanh Luong also had a chance five minutes later but the Singaporean custodian was equal to the task.

The tense match kept Vietnam’s coach Hendrique Calisto and his Singaporean counterpart Radojko Avramovic standing by the sidelines most of the time.

After Quang Hai’s strike, Singapore still had more shots than Vietnam at the goal, but the defenders stood firm and goalkeeper Hong Son was sharp and determined to protect the slender lead.

Vietnam’s defender Viet Cuong was sent off for the second yellow card one minute before the final whistle but it was Vietnam’s night.

Da Nang coach Le Huynh Duc said: “Calisto chose the right strategy and used the players in a good way. That brought home the success. I congratulate the team.”

Vietnam will play Thailand in a two-leg final on Wednesday December 24 in Bangkok and Sunday December 28 in Hanoi.

Reported by Huu Tho - Quang Tuyen