Former National Cup champion, sinking deep into 'crisis'

Goalkeeper Dinh Trieu defeated Thanh Hoa

Perhaps Thanh Hoa FC has never craved a victory as much as it does now. Before the match against Hai Phong FC, coach Velizar Popov and his team went through a series of 9 consecutive matches with only draws and losses (in all competitions). The last time the Thanh Hoa team won was in the match against Da Nang, which took place on November 20, 2024.

That is the reason why Thanh Hoa Club gradually lost its advantage in the V-League championship race (falling to 3rd place, 5 points behind the leader Nam Dinh) and was eliminated from the ASEAN Club Championship. Doan Ngoc Tan and his teammates need a victory against Hai Phong Club to come back stronger.

Coach Popov

Thanh Hoa Club tried very hard in the second half but could not equalize and officially became the former champion of the National Cup.

Doan Ngoc Tan and his teammates have encountered many difficulties recently.

However, that did not happen. It seemed that the early injury of young talent Ngoc My signaled an "ominous sign" for Thanh Hoa Club. Right at the 19th minute, Coach Popov was forced to make an unexpected substitution. At the 43rd minute, what the home fans did not want happened. From an unexpected corner kick situation of Hai Phong Club, Trieu Viet Hung was there at the right time to successfully head the ball back, opening the score of the match.

This goal helped both teams play more explosively in the second half. Thanh Hoa and Hai Phong clubs continuously had tit-for-tat attacks. But on a day when both sides' strikers were not sharp, combined with the brilliance of the 2024 AFF Cup champion Nguyen Dinh Trieu, no goals were scored in the remaining 45 minutes of the match.

In the end, Thanh Hoa FC lost 0-1 and officially became the former champion of the National Cup. At the same time, the streak of not knowing the taste of victory of coach Popov and his team was extended to 10 matches.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/club-thanh-hoa-thua-dau-hai-phong-thanh-cuu-vuong-cup-quoc-gia-chim-sau-vao-khung-hoang-185250304201214613.htm