Mongolia Splits Results with Myanmar Youth Teams
Update: It has been revealed that Mongolia was fielding its under-23 team following Olympic football regulations.
In preparation for the 2017 Tsunami Cup, Mongolia traveled to Myanmar over the weekend to face the country's under-20 and under-23 national sides at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.
On Friday 24 November the team challenged the under 20 team, showing well but ultimately being defeated 1-2 thanks to an own-goal and a bad break in stoppage time.
Myanmar opened the scoring in the 65th minute. A well-taken corner by the team's #7 found its way to a dangerous position in the box. Despite a celebration by the #9, the tally was officially credited as an own goal after it glanced off the head of an unaware Tögöldur Galt and found its way into the net.
Mongolia did not trail for long, with the team stringing together a nice series of passes in the buildup before a low and hard cross was sent in to the box by Mongolia's #17. Tögöldur Galt was there to redeem himself and equalize with the tap-in in the 70th minute.
As second-half stoppage time approached, it looked as if the match would end in a 1-1 draw. Myanmar ran almost two minutes off of the clock by kicking around its back field as time expired. A Mongolian player was eventually taken down at the midfield. Off of the resulting free kick, Myanmar got the ball back and made a quick run down field. The Myanmar #9 sent in a quick cross from the left flank. The ball again deflected off of a Mongolian defender and hit off of the crossbar. Before the Mongolian goalkeeper could secure the ball, it was knocked in by Myanmar's #21, Soe Lwin Lwin, in the 94th minute.
Two days later the Mongolian team took the field again, this time against Myanmar's under-23 team.
Mongolia took the early lead with Tsagaantsoojiin Mönkh-Erdene, one of Mongolia's goalscorers against Taiwan in October, receiving a nice cross from #22 in the 9th minute and heading it home.
In the 37th minute Mongolia demonstrated great skill to score their second goal of the match. A Mongolian player sent in a long curling cross from the left flank. Tögöldur Galt, goalscorer in Mongolia's last match, made a long run and got his head on the end of it for a powerful header from near the penalty spot to make the score 2-0.
The score remained 2-0 entering halftime. It remained unchanged until the 78th minute when a Myanmar player was taken down just outside of the box. The resulting free kick was a rocket that found a gap in the wall and past the goalkeeper to make the score 2-1. The kick was taken by the captain #11 Si Thu Aung. The Yadanarbon F.C. midfielder already has fourteen senior international caps and three goals to his name.
The score remained the same with Mongolia holding on for the victory.