Thanh Hoa team assistant criticized the referee, Hoang Duc had to check his injury

Viettel FC shared points in a dramatic match with Thanh Hoa FC in the earliest game of Round 2 of the V-League 2023-2024, held on the evening of October 27th. Despite opening the scoring in the middle of the second half thanks to central defender Van Loi, Thanh Hoa FC only managed to secure one point, as Viettel FC equalized through Bruno Cunha's penalty in the 98th minute.

Coach Velizar Popov did not attend the post-match press conference, instead sending his assistant, Mai Xuan Hop, to do it for him. Mr. Hop shared: "The situation leading to the equalizer was a sensitive moment in football, as it occurred during injury time, and the injury time in this match was excessively long. In the first half, the referee repeatedly needed to consult VAR. In the second half, even though VAR didn't intervene, the injury time was still too long (8 minutes)."

Thanh Hoa FC shared points with Viettel FC.

Regarding the reason why Coach Popov did not attend the press conference, assistant coach Mai Xuan Hop briefly explained: "Mr. Popov had a throat problem, so he couldn't attend the press conference."

Commenting on the match, assistant coach Mai Xuan Hop said: "Viettel FC is a very strong team, with many national team players in their squad. They are a quality team, but Thanh Hoa FC had a sound strategy and made things difficult for their opponent."

With Thanh Hoa FC's style of play, we had two or three clear chances but couldn't capitalize on them due to the pressure of the match, as well as the players' skills. They need to be calmer."

Speaking about the chances of the candidates competing for the Golden Ball, Mr. Mai Xuan Hop highly praised Hoang Duc. "Hoang Duc is an outstanding player in Vietnamese football, capable of winning the Golden Ball. Meanwhile, Thanh Hoa Club has nominated Lam Ti Phong, but compared to the other candidates, he is very difficult to compete with," the Thanh Hoa Club assistant coach shared.

Hoang Duc limped off the field.

Viettel FC coach Thach Bao Khanh stated: "I'm not happy with the result, but I'm satisfied with the team's performance and overall play. I think Viettel FC deserved the three points, and I'm pleased with the fighting spirit and dedication of the players."

The refereeing was fine, nothing to criticize. Regarding Hoang Duc's case, he needs to be checked, hopefully the injury isn't too serious, because he can still walk after experiencing pain in his knee. I have experience with knee injuries, requiring two surgeries; if the ligaments are torn, he won't be able to walk.

In this match, neither team intentionally played roughly; the players only showed determination in contested situations. Not only Viettel FC, but also Thanh Hoa FC, I think the players from both teams just wanted to entertain the fans, and no one intentionally tried to injure anyone."

Speaking about the Golden Ball race, coach Thach Bao Khanh commented: "Personally, aside from sentimental reasons, to be fair, Hoang Duc deserves it based on his professional skills. In addition, Duc Chien also deserves to be in the top 3, because he performed well last season."

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