National Cup 2018: Does FLC Thanh Hoa not dare to win the championship?
(Baonghean.vn) - It was thought that FLC Thanh Hoa would try their best to defeat B.Binh Duong and win the 2018 National Cup after consecutive empty-handed seasons, but unfortunately, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team could not or did not want to do that.
B.Binh Duong - the pride of Vietnamese football
Objectively, no team in Vietnam competes seriously in continental competitions (AFC Cup, AFC Champions League) like B.Binh Duong. Unlike other teams from the same country - who often participate just to "get the ball rolling" or ask to pay a fine to avoid competing, B.Binh Duong shows its seriousness in its role as a representative of Vietnamese football.
In the 2009 season, as the reigning V.League champion, B.Binh Duong represented the country's football in the AFC Cup. The tireless efforts of coach Mai Duc Chung and his team helped them reach the semi-finals. Unfortunately, B.Binh Duong could not win a ticket to play in the final match, when they were defeated by Al Kamarah of Syria with a score of 2-4 (first leg won 2-1, second leg lost 0-3).
Back to the 2018 National Cup final that took place on October 15 at Tam Ky Stadium (Quang Nam). Before the match started, B.Binh Duong was not rated as highly by experts as FLC Thanh Hoa. Due to being in the transition phase, the quality of the Go Dau team's squad was much lower than that of Nguyen Trong Hoang and his teammates on the other side of the front line. While FLC Thanh Hoa finished in 2nd place at V.League 2018, B.Binh Duong had to wait until the final rounds to successfully stay in the league.
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| B.Binh Duong won the National Cup for the third time. Photo: Internet |
Therefore, many experts and domestic football fans believe that B.Binh Duong will not be able to win the championship, and even coach Tran Minh Chien and his team will take this opportunity to "let go" of FLC Thanh Hoa to win.
However, the developments at Tam Ky Stadium surprised everyone. Entering the match with the highest determination, Nguyen Anh Duc and his teammates were rewarded with a 3-1 victory.
This victory helps the team from the land of Thu to win the National Cup for the third time, and certainly represent Vietnamese football to participate in the AFC Cup 2019. Hopefully, B.Binh Duong will continue to bring glory to the country's football, worthy of being the leading flag of Vietnamese football in the international arena at the club level.
FLC Thanh Hoa - giving the cup to the opponent
As much as we were surprised by B.Binh Duong's victory, we were disappointed by the Thanh team's defeat. It was thought that FLC Thanh Hoa would try their best to defeat B.Binh Duong and win the 2018 National Cup after consecutive seasons of empty-handedness, but unfortunately, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team were unable or unwilling to do so.
Against B.Binh Duong, Nguyen Trong Hoang and his teammates suddenly played badly. All 3 goals of the team from Thu Dau Mot were largely due to the defense of the team from Thanh Hoa.
The opening goal (minute 16) and the final goal 3 - 1 (minute 65) of B.Binh Duong came from the mistake of the "national" goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung of FLC Thanh Hoa. The remaining goal conceded by the Thanh team, defender Tran Dinh Dong played the role of the culprit when he lost the ball to Ho Sy Giap.
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| Bui Tien Dung had a terrible match against B.Binh Duong. Photo: Internet |
Witnessing the poor performance of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team, experts and fans felt that the Thanh team did not really try hard in the match against B.Binh Duong.
Is it true that FLC Thanh Hoa did not dare to win the championship because they were afraid of participating in the AFC Cup (?). In fact, except for B.Binh Duong, Vietnamese football teams are not interested in the continental arena - where it is both expensive and has little hope of going far.
Remember in this year's season, FLC Thanh Hoa received the "honor" of replacing Quang Nam FC (not meeting AFC standards) to participate in the AFC Cup 2018.
Despite declaring that they would play their best for the image of Vietnamese football in the eyes of international friends, in the end, the Thanh Hoa team only ranked 3rd in the group (1 win, 3 draws, 2 losses) and could not get a ticket to the knockout round. It is worth mentioning that FLC Thanh Hoa's competitive spirit in this tournament was quite bad.
FLC Thanh Hoa’s failure to win the 2018 National Cup is a source of joy for most Vietnamese football fans. If the Thanh Hoa team “has to participate” in the 2019 AFC Cup, the country’s football fans will once again experience disappointment.
B.Binh Duong not only deserves to win the 2018 National Cup, but coach Tran Minh Chien and his team also deserve to represent Vietnamese football in the continental arena.
