Fox Sports Asia football website has named Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai one of the 10 best performers from the opening round of matches at the AFC Asian Cup 2019.

Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai (L) at the match against Iraq

“The hottest prospect in Southeast Asian football at the moment, Nguyen Quang Hai did not disappoint on his Asian Cup debut as Vietnam bravely battled Iraq before succumbing to a 3-2 defeat following a brilliant 90th-minute free kick from Ali Adnan”, it said.

“Quang Hai was heavily involved in the build-up for both goals the Golden Dragons scored, and came close to netting one of his own with a trademark curling effort from the edge of the area”, it added.

Vietnam still have hopes of reaching the round of 16 and in 21-year-old Quang Hai they have a player capable of leading the way, according to Fox Sports Asia.

Apart from Quang Hai, another player from Southeast Asia – Javier Patino (the Philippines) - was selected by the football website thanks to his impressive performance against the Republic of Korea.-VNA