Tran Tien
Football Tribe Vietnam
Nguyen Van Quyet’s goal in the first half gave Hanoi a 1-0 win at the Go Dau stadium, giving them a slender league to take home ahead of the second leg.
The AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final first leg between Binh Duong and Hanoi was expected to be played in front of a full crowd, but heavy rain prevented the fans come to the stadium.
On the field, the weather had a profound effect on the players as well. Both teams could not show their best and the quality of the match suffered as a result.
In this difficult situation, the visitors took the lead after 33 minutes due to a mistake from Binh Duong’s defender. Nguyen Hung Thien Duc had clumsily clattered into Ngan Van Dai and the referee point to the spot.
Van Quyet failed to beat goalkeeper Tran Duc Cuong from the spot with his first attempt, but he still had time to get to the rebound to help Hanoi take the lead.
After the goal, Hanoi controlled the game and created many chances to score. However, they could not convert them into an even greater advantage.
The match finished with the scoreline 1-0 for Hanoi FC, meaning that the defending V.League champions have a slender lead ahead of the second leg on August 7.
Before that match, two teams will meet in another matchup in round 19 of the V.League on August 3rd.