According to Mr. Tsutomu Takahata, Wuhan Three Towns lost their vigilance in the last 30 minutes and lost 1-2 to Hanoi FC in Group J of the AFC Champions League on the evening of November 8.
"In this match, we received a red card and lost our guard in the last 30 minutes. I really regret the result today, because we played well in the first half, but lost our guard in the second half," coach Takahata said at a press conference after the match at My Dinh Stadium.
Coach Tsutomu Takahata held a press conference at My Dinh Stadium after Wuhan Three Towns lost 1-2 to Hanoi FC on November 8. Photo: Nguyen Nhu
Wuhan got off to a flying start at My Dinh Stadium, opening the scoring in the 10th minute. Wei Shihao passed the ball to Abdul-Aziz Yakubu, who backheeled for He Chao to finish decisively in the penalty area. The Chinese club then continued to dominate Hanoi FC, who were mentally strained after losing all five matches in both the AFC Champions League and V-League. Wuhan almost doubled the lead in the 44th minute, with Yakubu's tap-in just five metres from goal.
In the second half, the away team continued to play well, with a slight advantage in the game. However, the turning point came in the 71st minute when goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo made a mistake and misjudged when rushing out after Pham Xuan Manh's cross. Pham Tuan Hai headed the ball over the away team's goalkeeper to equalize 1-1. Two minutes later, Wei Shihao continued to put Wuhan Three Towns in a difficult position when he hit Xuan Manh, receiving a direct red card and being sent off.
Playing with one more player, Hanoi FC pushed up their formation to attack continuously. They completed the comeback with Tuan Hai's second goal. The home team's striker controlled the ball with a delicate step, made a fake move to get rid of the opposing defender, then finished lightly but dangerously enough to force goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo to pick the ball out of the net for the second time.
According to coach Takahata, Wuhan will also face difficulties in this match because of their physical exhaustion, the weather is somewhat hotter than in Hanoi and the difference in the field. He said: "We have traveled a long way to come to Hanoi to play this match. The team is also not in the best physical condition because they have just competed continuously in the Chinese National Championship. The temperature difference between Hanoi and Wuhan is also quite large, while the different field - the grass at My Dinh is softer than the field we usually practice on - makes it difficult for the team to adapt."
Pham Tuan Hai (middle) scored two beautiful goals to help Hanoi FC come from behind to win 2-1 in the fourth match of Group J of the AFC Champions League. Photo: Minh Dan
Coach Takahata also praised Hanoi FC. According to him, the Vietnamese representative played very well in the first leg when they only lost 1-2 despite having to play with one less player from the fourth minute, and continued to perform well in today's return match. "I am not surprised by Hanoi FC's performance today. As I said, they are a strong team with real strength. Wuhan prepared very carefully before coming to play as guests," the Japanese coach added.
Thanks to the victory over Wuhan, Hanoi FC has the first three points in Group J, after going empty-handed in the first three matches. However, the team is still at the bottom, one point behind Wuhan Three Towns and Urawa Reds. Korean club Pohang Steelers is currently leading the group with 11 points.
Lam Thoa
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