At Pleiku Stadium, Cong Phuong had an emotional match. He did not celebrate when he scored against Phan Dinh Vu Hai, equalizing 1-1 for Binh Phuoc Club. Before that, HAGL opened the score thanks to Dung Quang Nho's tap-in in the penalty area. In the penalty shootout, the former HAGL striker took the first kick and continued to score against his former team. Binh Phuoc Club also had an advantage when Chau Ngoc Quang missed his shot right after that. But on the day that 2024 AFF Cup champion Tran Trung Kien played so well that he blocked 2 penalty kicks, coach Nguyen Anh Duc and his team had to accept ending their National Cup journey in the round of 16.
Binh Phuoc Club is relying too much on Cong Phuong
Binh Phuoc FC will not be happy with the above result, but the loss to HAGL will also teach the team many lessons. This season, Cong Phuong has scored 6 goals and 1 assist, contributing greatly to helping Binh Phuoc FC still chase Ninh Binh FC on the first division rankings. With a goal contribution rate of nearly 80%, Cong Phuong is still a very important player, worthy of becoming a professional and spiritual support for Binh Phuoc FC players.
HAGL continues
However, Binh Phuoc FC is relying too much on Cong Phuong, which means that when the brightest star is locked down, the team has no other attacking options. This was clearly shown in the match against HAGL. Facing a fierce and disciplined defense, with young and strong central defenders like Pham Ly Duc and Dung Quang Nho, Cong Phuong could not show much. His goal only came after goalkeeper Vu Hai made a mistake. The situation of Binh Phuoc FC being stuck when Cong Phuong was stuck has also happened many times this season.
The problem of dependence on Cong Phuong needs to be solved by coach Anh Duc soon. Otherwise, in the race for promotion to V-League next season, they are likely to fall behind. Because their direct competitor, Ninh Binh Club, has many explosive players. In addition to Hoang Duc, coach Nguyen Viet Thang also has Mach Ngoc Ha, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Dinh Thanh Binh... with high performance.
The quality of Binh Phuoc Club's squad is not too inferior to Ninh Binh's. In attack, they still have many good players such as Ho Sy Giap, Ho Tuan Tai, Le Thanh Binh, Nguyen Kien Quyet. These are all players who have experience playing in the V-League. Notably, Thanh Binh is a very talented striker in the first division, having helped Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa clubs return to the V-League. However, up to now, coach Anh Duc has not been able to choose the most compatible squad to help improve Binh Phuoc Club's attacking ability. Apart from Cong Phuong, the above players have left almost no mark.
A team competing for the championship needs a star who can shine consistently like Cong Phuong. However, that is only a necessary condition, the sufficient condition is to have more players who can shine in place of that star to create diversity, making it impossible for opponents to predict. And Binh Phuoc Club does not have this sufficient condition.
Results on January 12
Ba Ria-Vung Tau 1-1 Ninh Binh (penalty: 2-4)
HAGL 1-1 Binh Phuoc (penalty: 4-3)
Hanoi Club 0-0 Dong Thap (penalty: 3-4)
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