Hai Phong coach wants to defeat Xuan Truong's old team to go deep in Asia

Hai Phong FC traveled to Hong Kong to face the home team Rangers, which had 9 foreign players, 3 naturalized players and 6 foreign players according to AFC registration standards. The away team was cheered on by about 1,000 people, including fans who followed the team and Vietnamese people living and working in Hong Kong.

Hai Phong FC took the initiative to attack right from the referee's whistle, dominating the home team Rangers (59% possession compared to 35% of the opponent), launching 7 dangerous shots. But the surprise happened, during a Rangers attack, striker Yumemi Kanda's shot hit the foot of a Hai Phong defender, opening the score 1-0 in the 40th minute.

In the second half, Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's students still maintained the dominant position, playing with tight ball control. The equalizer 1-1 in the 55th minute came after a penalty kick by striker Yuri, the ball bounced back and Tuan Anh rushed in to kick the rebound. The match entered extra time, the home team Rangers players were clearly exhausted. Hai Phong's consecutive goals came in the 108th minute by Tuan Anh, the 111th minute by Martin Lo and the 116th minute by Yuri, completing a 4-1 victory for the away team Hai Phong.

At the post-match press conference, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem said: "In this match, we had many good players, of which Bicou was the one who blocked all of Rangers' attacks. On August 16, we flew back to Hai Phong to prepare for the match with Incheon United. Hai Phong Club will try to play well in each match, we may continue or have to stop to play in the AFC Cup, but we will play our best."

Explaining the 0-1 loss in the first half, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem said: "From the moment we arrived here, we knew Rangers played very well in the first 20 minutes. They had speed and relied on set pieces. After the goal in the first half, I told the players to play faster. I knew that Hai Phong Club would win if they equalized. We were lucky and took advantage of the opportunities. I have led many clubs to compete in continental cups. In this match, I was enthusiastically cheered by the fans, it was a beautiful image in the stands."

On the opposite side, Rangers Club coach, Mr. Von Ca Nhum said: "Thank you everyone for coming to today's match, we fought until the last minute. I really didn't think the match would last another 30 minutes, the 11m penalty changed the game. We didn't have a chance to get close to Hai Phong's goal". Commenting on the away team Hai Phong Club, coach Von Ca Nhum praised: "They are a technical team, playing together. After the 11m penalty, I knew the match was decided".

After defeating the home team Rangers, Hai Phong FC will compete for a ticket to the AFC Champion League group stage with the home team Incheon United (Korea) in a knockout format on August 22. Interestingly, this is the former team of Xuan Truong - the player currently playing for Hai Phong FC.

Source link