Asia AFC Cup

Nam Dinh Snatch Dramatic Victory over Tampines Rovers

Thep Xanh Nam Dinh staged a stunning comeback from two goals down to defeat Tampines Rovers FC 3-2 in Wednesday’s 2024/25 AFC Champions League Two match at the Thien Truong Stadium. The dramatic win pushes the Vietnamese champions to eight points, keeping them in second place of Group G, just behind group leaders True Bangkok United FC on 10 points and four points clear of Tampines.

Tampines started strongly, with early chances from Seia Kunori, Shuya Yamashita, and Kyoga Nakamura, hinting at another high-scoring encounter following their thrilling 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture at Singapore’s Jalan Besar Stadium. Nam Dinh responded with attacking pressure of their own and nearly took the lead in the 19th minute, but Yamashita cleared Ly Cong Hoang Anh’s shot off the line, and Syazwan Buhari saved Lucas Silva’s follow-up.

Tampines broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when Amirul Adli rose to head in Joel Chew’s corner, giving the Singaporean side the advantage. They then doubled their lead just after halftime, as Shah Shahiran’s cross found Kunori, who squeezed his shot in from a tight angle to put Tampines 2-0 up.

Despite the setback, Nam Dinh fought back, finding a lifeline in the 57th minute when Caio Cesar chested down Ly Cong’s cross and fired past Buhari. Ten minutes from time, Nam Dinh’s persistence paid off again, with Nguyen Van Vi’s superb run down the left setting up Joseph Mpande for a simple tap-in to level the score.

The comeback was complete in dramatic fashion when Lucas Araujo struck in the sixth minute of added time, scoring from close range to secure a 3-2 victory and three valuable points for Nam Dinh.