Nam Dinh 9-0 Eastern AA: A goalfest at Thien Truong Stadium
Nam Định led 3-0 against Eastern AA at Thien Truong Stadium after 10 minutes, with goals from Caio Cesar, Pham Ba and Ly Cong Hoang Anh; Brenner assisted the third goal.
Key events of the match
2' – Nam Định opens the scoring
Right from the first attack, Caio Cesar was in the right place in the penalty area, tapping the ball in from close range to give the home team at Thien Truong Stadium a 1-0 lead, opening the floodgates for a flurry of goals.
19' – Leading 5-0 after less than 20 minutes
Nam Dinh completely dominated Eastern. Pham Ba and Hoang Anh scored goals, while Romulo netted a brace, giving the Nam Dinh team a 5-0 lead.
45' – Brenner increased the score to 6-0 before halftime.
Before the first half ended, Brenner capitalized on an opportunity in the penalty area, sealing a 6-0 victory for Nam Dinh after 45 minutes.
50' – 60' – Brenner completes his hat-trick, Nam Định leads 8-0
At the start of the second half, coach Mauro's team continued to press the visitors. Brenner shone brightly with two more goals, raising the total score to 8-0 and creating hope of catching up with Ratchaburi in terms of goal difference.
90' – Eastern scores an own goal, Nam Định scores their 9th goal.
In a defensive effort, defender Eastern inadvertently scored an own goal, giving Nam Định a 9-0 victory.
Final score – Won 9-0 but still eliminated.
Despite their resounding victory, Nam Định were eliminated from the AFC Cup in the group stage. In the other match played at the same time, Ratchaburi only lost to Gamba Osaka 0-2. Both teams had 9 points and a goal difference of +7, but Nam Định were eliminated due to scoring fewer goals than their opponents.
Tactical approach: direct, exploiting depth.
The early three goals clearly illustrated Nam Dinh's approach: accelerating from the start, attacking directly through the center and behind the Eastern AA defense. Brenner's through pass showed the vertical link with Ly Cong Hoang Anh's well-timed run. In addition, Pham Ba's curling shot came from a gap on the edge of the penalty area – an area Eastern AA left open – while Caio Cesar's opening goal demonstrated his ability to react in a second-time situation inside the box.
Context and impact
Nam Định entered the match under pressure after their 0-2 defeat against Ratchaburi in the previous round, which cost them their fate. Despite a morale boost from their 3-0 win against Shan United in the Shopee Cup, the home team was missing Xuân Son, who was not registered to play in the AFC Champions League Two. Conversely, the Hong Kong (China) representative – Eastern AA – brought a dismal performance to Thiên Trường Stadium: three consecutive losses, conceding 17 goals and scoring only one against Gamba Osaka and Ratchaburi.
Match information
- Time: 5:00 PM today, December 11th
- Tournament: Group Stage – AFC Cup 2025/26 (Group F)
- Stadium: Thien Truong
Team lineup according to pre-match sources.
Nam Dinh: Caique, Pham Ba, Lucas Alves, Tran Van Toi, Michell Dijks, Tuan Anh, Caio Cesar, Romulo, Brenner, Percy Tau, Eid Mahmoud.
Eastern AA: Fu Yuen Liu, Wong Tsz Ho, Almazan, Lorenz, Koo Ja Ryong, Lam Hin-Ting, Gondra, Chun Pong Leung, Lau Kwan Ching, Callum Hall, Chang Kwong Yin.
