Rafaelson has proven himself to be a thorn in Hanoi FC’s side as the Brazilian scored a hat-trick for Topenland Binh Dinh in their 3-1 win over the defending V.League 1 champions on Monday at the Quy Nhon Stadium, a result that dethroned the Capital Team from the league’s summit.
Hanoi’s stand-in goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan was no match for 26-year old striker Rafaelson, who scored his second consecutive hat-trick against the Capital Team after his effort in Binh Dinh’s 3-0 win away at the Hang Day Stadium back in September 0f 2022.
With the match seemingly heading towards a goalless first half, Rafaelson outsmarted Nguyen Thanh Chung before rifling a shot into Van Chuan’s goal to give the hosts a 44th minute lead.
Lucao do Break tied things up for Hanoi four minutes into the second half, however two minutes after the hour mark Van Chuan performed the grave mistake of fouling Rafaelson within the area. The Brazilian successfully dispatched the ensuing penalty, restoring Binh Dinh’s lead.
The three points were sealed in the third minute of injury-time, with Rafaelson angling in a powerful left-footed shot that went beyond Van Chuan’s reaches.
Things then gone from bad to worse from Hanoi as Nguyen Van Quyet saw a straight red card from the referee right at the end of the match after he had harshly protested the official.
Defeat meant that Hanoi slipped to 2nd in the V.League 1 table, following Dong A Thanh Hoa’s thrilling 5-3 win over Ho Chi Minh City FC on the same day, a result that saw Velizar Popov’s men taking over the league leadership for the time being.