The hosts needed at least a draw to ensure qualification from the final match and they did so in lacklustre fashion, resulting in an ironic 'Laos! Laos!' chant from the home supporters as the match crawled to a finish.
Laos made it difficult for the home team as their stubborn defence prevented Myanmar from controlling the game.
But Laos were clearly playing for a win and frequently went forward in search of a goal. However, they failed to penetrate the final third, with only Visay Phaphouvannin's long range drive five minutes from the break being noteworthy.
Myanmar meanwhile ended the first half with six corner-kicks to Laos' one.
The second-half started with the home side on the backfoot. Soukaphone Vongchiengkham's drive from just outside the penalty box forced Thiha Si Thu into a fine save to deny the Laotians a lead.
A good spell for Myanmar past the hour mark, ended with Yan Aung Kyaw putting the ball out for a Laos goal kick. Myanmar managed to put some pressure in the second-half but were not creating enough shots on goal.
10 minutes from the end, Vilayout's goal was ruled out for offside and then in the dead of injury time, Khampheng Sayavutthi's strike from outside the penalty area brought out the best in the Burmese custodian to preserve the scoreline.
The 0-0 result means Myanmar will travel to Bangkok to join Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup Finals in November. Laos meanwhile, temporarily move into second place, a point over Timor Leste who play Brunei later in the same day. Only a defeat for Timor Leste will ensure qualification for Laos.-Yahoo News (Ocotober 13, 2012 7:00PM
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