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," coach Takahata said at a press conference after the match at My Dinh Stadium. "I really regret the result, because we played well in the first half, but lost our guard in the second half."
Regarding the opponent, Coach Takahata praised Hanoi FC, saying that the Vietnamese representative played very well in the first leg, showing that they only lost 1-2 despite being one man down from the fourth minute. "I am not surprised by Hanoi FC's performance. As I said, they are a strong team with real strength. Wuhan prepared very carefully before coming here," the Japanese coach added.
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 started the match well, even opening the score in the 10th minute thanks to a shot from He Chao in the penalty area. After that, the Chinese club continued to dominate a Hanoi FC team that was mentally tense after losing all five recent matches in all competitions.
In the second half, the away team still had the upper hand. However, they paid the price for not taking advantage of the opportunity to finish the match. In the 71st minute, goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo misjudged Pham Xuan Manh's cross, allowing Pham Tuan Hai to head the ball home to tie the score at 1-1. Two minutes later, Wei Shihao continued to put Wuhan in a difficult position when he accidentally hit Xuan Manh, receiving a straight red card.
Playing with one more player, Hanoi FC pushed up their attack formation and completed the comeback with Tuan Hai's second goal. The home striker controlled the ball with a delicate step, feinted to get past the opposing defender, then shot dangerously past goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo.
Pham Tuan Hai (middle) scored two 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
According to coach Takahata, Wuhan had difficulty in this match because their physical strength was worn down for many different reasons. He said: "We have come a long way to Hanoi. The team is also not in good physical condition because of continuous competition in the Chinese National Championship. The temperature difference between Hanoi and Wuhan is also quite large, while the field is different - the grass at My Dinh is softer than the field we usually practice on, making it difficult for the team to adapt."
Thanks to the victory over Wuhan, Hanoi FC got the first three points in Group J, after going empty-handed in the first three matches. However, they are still at the bottom, one point behind Wuhan Three Towns and Urawa Reds. Korean club Pohang Steelers leads the group with 11 points.
Lam Thoa
Source link
Comment (0)