The Philippines frustrated defending champion and host nation Vietnam in their second match of the Southeast Asian Games men's football competition, Sunday evening at the Việt Trì Stadium in Phú Thọ.

In a superb result for the Under-23 Azkals, they held Vietnam to a goalless draw to improve to four points from two matches in Group A.

The young Azkals were coming off a confidence-boosting 4-0 rout of Timor Leste in their first game last Friday but were facing a step-up in competition against Vietnam. The host nation won men's football gold in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, and were ranked 96th in the world.

But they withstood the pressure not just from the Vietnamese team but also from their fans at the stadium, with goal-keeper Quincy Kammeraad standing firm between the sticks.

Vietnam, coming off a 3-0 victory against Indonesia, had several chances but many attempts hit the side-netting as well.

The U-23 Azkals return to action on Tuesday against Myanmar, the bronze medalist in 2019. Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals.