The match against defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds is the final match of Hanoi FC in the group stage of the AFC Champions League 2023 - 2024.
In the previous 5 matches, coach Le Duc Tuan and his team won 1, lost 4, and have no chance of advancing. Meanwhile, Urawa Club won 2, drew 1, and lost 2, and still have a chance to advance to the next round as the best second-place team.
With superior motivation and strength, Urawa Club rushed forward to attack and soon had a chance to open the scoring. In the 5th minute, center back Dao Van Nam made a mistake in the penalty area. After consulting the slow-motion situation, the referee awarded the away team a penalty.
Hanoi Club plays bravely
However, foreign player Alexander Scholz could not beat goalkeeper Van Hoang with a shot that was not difficult enough. The referee paused the match again to listen to the VAR team. However, there was no early movement of the former SLNA goalkeeper and the players from both sides into the penalty area.
Van Hoang's performance was the highlight of Hanoi FC in the first half. The goalkeeper born in 1995 played solidly and effectively, making another perfect save in the 33rd minute when he successfully blocked Kaito Yasui's face-off.
Patiently defending under pressure, Hanoi FC unexpectedly broke Urawa's net in the second half. In the 53rd minute, from a corner kick by Hanoi players, Le Tallec's header was blocked by goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa. Van Nam immediately rushed in to head the ball into Urawa's net.
Van Nam made a contribution
After this goal, Hanoi FC retreated to defend, while Urawa had to rush forward. After many missed opportunities, the away team equalized in the 65th minute. Receiving a low cross from the right wing by Takuya Ogiwara, Linssen broke the offside trap and finished with one touch.
The second half witnessed a quality match as both teams played tit for tat. In a match that was only a formality and required the use of a young squad, Hanoi FC still played with great effort.
The sweet fruit came to the home team in the 82nd minute when an Urawa player let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area after a dispute with Hai Long. The referee once again consulted the slow-motion video and awarded the home team Hanoi a penalty.
Hanoi Club creates surprise
With a golden opportunity at the 11m mark, Tuan Hai finished very precisely and coolly to raise the score to 2-1. This was also Tuan Hai's 5th goal in the AFC Champions League.
Playing resiliently in the remaining time, Hanoi FC successfully defended the fragile 1-goal gap. Even if Tuan Hai had curled the ball more accurately in the 6th minute of extra time, Hanoi FC would have had the third goal.
Defeating Urawa 2-1, Tuan Hai and his teammates left the AFC Champions League with their heads held high with 6 points. Hanoi FC also turned Urawa into the former champion of the tournament, as the Japanese team could not qualify for the group stage.
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