It’s not everyday that an away team has the majority of support but that was the certainly the case at the New Laos National Stadium as Vietnam got their 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign off to a winning start with the 3-0 victory over the hosts.

One of the stars of the match was Nguyen Cong Phuong and he paid tribute to the loud and noisy band of Vietnam fans that filled the venue in the Laos capital.

“If we’re looking for one of the main factors behind the win we have to point to our supporters.

“To walk out onto the pitch and see and hear all the fans that had come with us gave us the motivation to try and win the match.”

Cong Phuong was the player that got things underway with his 11^th minute goal putting Vietnam ahead before Nguyen Anh Duc grabbed a second in stoppage time to send the visitors to the break with a 2-0 lead.

Star midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai scored another midway through the second half to round out the 3-0 win, a result that Cong Phuong termed an ‘ideal’ start.

“We know that the first match in any tournament is always a tough one and that everyone in the team had to focus and play as well as they could.

“The whole team did that and we got the win that we wanted so we can say it’s the perfect start but we know we have to now maintain our level throughout the tournament.”

The Golden Stars now have eight days off before their second match with Malaysia in Hanoi before rounding out the group stage in Myanmar and then back home against Cambodia.

“We have the chance to go back to Hanoi and take a short rest before returning to training and then it’s all about preparing and focusing for the next match with Malaysia.”