HOME WIN FOR ASEAN CHAMPIONS

Nguyen Minh Phuong blasted the lead off an 11th minute freekick before striker Le Cong Vinh added a second goal for the homesters with a shot from inside the box on 30 minutes.

But Vietnam suffered a hiccup at the start of the second half when AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 hero Cong Vinh was sent-off for a second yellow card offence.

As Vu Phong made good on a rebounder for Vietnam’s third goal in the 69th minute, the visiting Lebanese side then scored their only goal of the game off Akram Moghrabi four minutes later for the final scoreline.

With the win, Vietnam are at the top of their qualifying Group D after Syria defeated China 3-2 in another Group D match.

In the meantime, losing AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 Thailand gained an advantage for their 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign when they held Jordan to a scoreless draw in Amman.

Both sides had a flurry of chances to win the tie at the Amman International Stadium although it would be the Thais who came the closest to claiming the three points when Suchao Nutnum hit the post in the 28th minute.

“The draw is good for us because it’s our first game and I hope that we can go all the way and qualify from the group to the finals,” said Reid.

“I’m happy with the result, especially as it was against a strong team who put plenty of pressure on us throughout the whole game.

“We tried to close the gaps all over the field and managed to hold on until the end.”

On the other hand, three times Asean champions Singapore were well-beaten in their first outing of the qualifiers when they were thrashed 6-0 by Iran.

Majid Gholamnejad, Karim Bagheri, Gholamreza Rezaei cashed in after Ismail Yunos was sent off five minutes before the break to put Iran in a commanding position before a late double from Mohammed Nouri and a Mazyar Zareh goal set the seal on a resounding triumph.

Both Thailand and Singapore are in the same Group E of the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifying round.