Despite huge investment, why was Ninh Binh still eliminated from the National Cup?

Hoang Duc and Van Lam could not carry the rest of Ninh Binh to continue at the National Cup. Photo: Phu Dong Ninh Binh Club.

The match against Binh Duong on March 29 was an opportunity for Phu Dong Ninh Binh to face their highest-class opponent since the beginning of the season. In the First Division, Ninh Binh proved to be unrivaled compared to the rest when they won all 11 matches and only conceded 1 goal.

In the National Cup, Ninh Binh won 2 matches against the bottom team in V.League, TP.HCM in the qualifying round and against familiar opponent Ba Ria - Vung Tau in the round of 16. In both of these matches, coach Nguyen Viet Thang's team finished the opponent on penalties.

In the quarter-finals against Binh Duong, thanks to a referee error, Ninh Binh, despite being down 2-0, still managed to tie the game and drag their opponents into a penalty shootout. The National Cup regulations allow teams to secure a medal by simply reaching the semi-finals. However, this time, luck was not on Viet Thang's side.

Le Hai Duc (left), who missed the only penalty kick for Ninh Binh, has played less than one season in the V.League for Quang Nam. Photo: Phu Dong Ninh Binh Club.

Human differences

With huge investment, owning 2 prestigious national players (Dang Van Lam and Nguyen Hoang Duc) or some rising young stars of U22 Vietnam such as Nguyen Quoc Viet or Vo Anh Quan, Ninh Binh seemed to soon rise to become a new force in Vietnamese football, but reality shows that they are still far from reaching the level of V.League.

Even when Binh Duong played against the West according to the regulations, Ninh Binh was still at a disadvantage in terms of strength. In the Ninh Binh club, apart from Van Lam and Hoang Duc, who are two big names, the remaining players are not at the same level. Central defender Nguyen Huu Tuan, defender Do Thanh Thinh, midfielder Nguyen Trong Long and striker Dinh Thanh Binh were all called up to the national team but were all sent back or at most were just substitutes in official tournaments.

Those are just 6 names in Ninh Binh's starting lineup against Binh Duong. The remaining 5 positions are all little known: Mach Ngoc Ha, Phan Van Hieu, Le Hai Duc, Pham Gia Hung or Pham Van Thanh. They have all more or less participated in V.League in the past but played poorly, changed clubs frequently and now moved down to the First Division.

The class gap was evident within Ninh Binh's squad. No matter how good Van Lam and Hoang Duc were, they could not carry the rest of the team to play on par with Binh Duong. The only player who missed a penalty was Le Hai Duc, a player who has not played 300 minutes in the V.League.

On the contrary, experience and bravery are what a mid-range club in the V.League like the team from the land of Thu shows superiority. 10/11 starting positions of Binh Duong are all seniors in the V.League, playing regularly in the last 3 seasons and at times competing for a position in the top group with strong teams such as Hanoi, Nam Dinh or Thanh Hoa.

Even if we do not count Tien Linh, Vi Hao, Ngoc Hai, Minh Trong or Minh Khoa as outstanding players, the remaining group, although less famous such as goalkeeper Tran Minh Toan, Ngo Tung Quoc, Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong or naturalized player Tran Trung Hieu, have all been trained in the highest professional playground in Vietnam. From a human perspective, Ninh Binh losing to Binh Duong is not a strange thing.

Tien Linh continuously scores for Binh Duong. Photo: Tam Minh.

Lessons from history

In a broader sense, V.League and First Division are two leagues with a huge difference in level. That difference is often seen every time representatives of the two leagues meet in the National Cup.

In the more than two-decade history of Vietnamese professional football, 100% of the National Cup champions have come from the V.League and only three First Division teams have won medals in this tournament: Khanh Hoa (2005), PVF-CAND (2023) and Dong Thap, the team that just won a ticket to the semi-finals of this year's tournament.

The situation of Da Nang FC this season is also an example of the contrast between V.League and the First Division. Last season, the Han River team under the leadership of coach Truong Viet Hoang won the First Division with a series of impressive statistics.

With the same squad and only foreign players added, when promoted, Da Nang only won 1 match after 16 rounds. Mr. Hoang quickly lost his job and Da Nang faced the risk of relegation again.

In football, a lot of money does not necessarily mean good, because even with huge investment, Da Nang cannot compete in V.League. To be good, clubs need more than pouring money into football.

Source: https://znews.vn/duoc-dau-tu-khung-vi-sao-ninh-binh-van-bi-loai-khoi-cup-quoc-gia-post1542747.html