Sterling Helps Man City Thrash Vietnam

Raheem Sterling scored twice as Manchester City cruised to an 8-1 victory in their friendly with Vietnam in Hanoi.

Manuel Pellegrini's team led 4-0 at the break and doubled their tally in the second-half with Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva also hitting doubles and Marcos Lopes and Jose Pozo the other scorers, Van Queyet bagging a late reply for the hosts.

City broke the deadlock after 10 minutes when Kolarov scored with a retaken free-kick, whipping it round the wall and into the bottom corner at the second time of asking after the encroaching wall blocked his first effort.

Two goals in a minute then all but ended the game as a contest. First, Sterling bent a brilliant effort into the far corner form the left edge of the area before Silva tapped in the rebound after his initial header came back off the bar.

It was four just past the half-hour as Sterling played a one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho before sliding the ball past the goalkeeper.

Van had a shot saved well by Joe Hart before the end of the half, but it was the only time Vietnam threatened.

Four became five early in the second half. The referee judged that Sterling had been brought down in the penalty box and Kolarov stepped up to rifle in his second from the spot.

Silva became the third player on a hat-trick as he collected Sterling’s pass and dinked the ball over the goalkeeper for his second in the 64th minute.

A raft of substitutions soon followed with Sterling and Silva among those replaced. Lopes entered the fray and got himself on the scoresheet within a few minutes, his left-footed shot squirming underneath the body of Vietnamese sub keeper Thanh Diep.

There was little Thanh could do about the final City goal as Pozo burst through on goal after a diagonal run and chipped the ball expertly into the far corner.

Vietnam pushed forward in the closing minutes and came close through Que Ngoc Hai before Van held off the challenge of James Horsfield to lob the bouncing ball over Willy Caballero in stoppage time.