By Nick Lander
Arsenal bagged seven goals in successive matches, as they romped to a comfortable victory in Vietnam. Playing a team ranked 145th in the world by FIFA, there was only going to be one outcome, but it was a momentous occasion for Vietnamese football, as the Gunners became the first Premier League team to visit the country.
Olivier Giroud opened the scoring on five minutes, as he took his shot early, having made a good run. Fifteen minutes later, Lukas Podolski almost doubled Arsenal's advantage, as he headed narrowly over from Serge Gnabry's cross. Podolski had another chance soon after. He took on the Vietnam defence in the penalty area, beating two players (much like Samir Nasri against Fulham a couple of seasons ago) but tried to set Giroud rather than taking the shot himself.
Podolski then spurned a third chance before the break, hitting the post after a through ball split the Vietnamese defence, with the goalkeeper saving well from Gnabry's follow up.
Just when it was beginning to look like Arsenal might only head into the break one goal to the good, up stepped Giroud. Vietnam only half-cleared Carl Jenkinson's cross and the big Frenchman curled it home from inside the D.
Three minutes later, he completed his hat-trick, sumptuously lifting the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's through ball again split the Vietnam back line. Three-nil at half time then.
A raft of changes at the break followed, but it was one of the few surviving players from the first half who got the next goal, as the Ox slammed Theo Walcott's cut back into the top left corner from just outside the box.
Chamberlain was not finished there, moments later he surged forward and played Chuba Akpom in, but the young striker could not quite shape his shot around the goalkeeper. On 55 minutes though, Akpom made no mistake. Vietnam tried to spring the offside trap, but Aaron Ramsey's through ball for Akpom was perfectly timed and this time the ball did curve around the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Five-nil.
Akpom's second was created by 16-year-old Gedion Zelalem who had great vision to pick out Oxlade-Chamberlain's run. The Vietnam defence again beaten by a through ball, Chamberlain squared the ball back to Akpom, who fired the ball home with the outside of his boot.
Akpom could have had a hat-trick too, Zelalem unselfishly cut the ball back for the Englishman, who tried to put the ball in the top corner, but it deflected over for a corner. Walcott took the resulting set piece and Mertesacker's header was well saved by Tran Buu Ngoc in the Vietnam goal.
The Gunners' last of the game was one of the best worked, Ignasi Miquel interchanged well with Thomas Eisfeld on the left wing and coolly slotted home.
The stadium erupted soon after though, as Tran Manh Dung excellently turned home. A cross came in slightly behind him but he still managed to superbly loop it over Damien Martinez's head. A brilliant finish.
That was not the end of Martinez's work either, Le Cong Vinh struck a good free kick minutes later, which the Argentine goalkeeper saved well. His opposite number's night would not end so glamorously however, as Buu Ngoc was shown red when he saved one-on-one with his hands outside of his area. He had to walk, friendly or not. A substitute himself, Vietnam had no 'keeper left on the bench and had to give gloves and a bib to one of their outfield players, who, perhaps ironically, was the only Vietnam goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on the night!
There were to be no more goals though and Arsenal recorded another comfortable victory. The game however, is unlikely to be the most remembered part of Arsenal's time in Vietnam. That honour is more likely to go to 'The Running Man' who chased the Arsenal team bus on foot for around 5km, before being allowed on board! You can view the video here.
The squad are now in Japan, as their Asia tour continues with games against Arsene Wenger's former club Nagoya Grampus and then Urawa Red Diamonds.
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