The Qantas Young Socceroos have begun their Asian Football Confederation U19 Championships well, defeating Thailand 1-0. Sam Munro's 20th minute strike from the edge of the penalty area was the difference between the two sides in the match played in Saudi Arabia. Coach Jan Versleijen was delighted with the result, knowing that it sets up the remainder of the tournament for his side. "The win was important as it gives us a good start and we know that two wins should allow us to make the next round, so a win to start puts us in a good position," he said. "The first 20 minutes was very good and we should have scored a second goal, by not converting ensured that Thailand could still exert some pressure on us. But that being the case Thailand only had one or two shots at goal in ninety minutes. "Our next game will be a lot tougher and if we want to win this we will need to convert our opportunities." The Young Socceroos next play on Tuesday night against Uzbekistan who defeated Jordan 1-0 in their first match. The top four nations in the AFC U29 Championships qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009.
Young Socceroos kick-start campaign with a win
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