Saigon Xuan Thanh won the National Cup for the first time

Defeating Hanoi T&T 4-1 in the final match on the afternoon of August 29, Saigon Xuan Thanh won the national cup championship for the first time.

Huynh Kesley's joy (7) after the opening goal - Photo: Si Huyen

Thus, Hanoi T&T football team received a double this season with two runner-up finishes in V-League and National Cup.

The national cup final started with some tough clashes between both sides. In the first half alone, referee Vo Quang Vinh handed out seven yellow cards, with the visiting team Ha Noi T&T receiving four.

Unintentionally, the king of the field became the main character of the match when he always had to rush in to stop the heated arguments between the players. In the 62nd minute, a member of the away team, assistant goalkeeper coach Tran Tien Anh, was asked to leave the technical area after using many unpleasant words with the assistant referee.

The fierce collisions, sometimes going beyond the framework of football rules, showed that both sides were eager to conquer the championship, to salvage some reputation when they both missed out on the V-League championship title.

In the 10th minute, Saigon Xuan Thanh took the lead 1-0. From a free kick on the left wing, Nguyen Rogierio chipped the ball just in time for Huynh Kesley to head it back. Out of sight, goalkeeper Ngoc Tu was helpless against this tricky header. In the 35th minute, the gap was multiplied for the home team when striker Antonio skillfully broke through in the penalty area, dribbled past Ngoc Tu and then leisurely tapped the ball into the empty net. 2-0, a pretty favorable start for Saigon Xuan Thanh.

The impatience of being behind made Hanoi T&T's attacks and finishing lack the usual sharpness. In a way, the away team was helpless in the first half in finding a way into goalkeeper Tan Truong's goal.

That helplessness was clearly illustrated by midfielder Ngoc Duy's skillful handball goal. Not seeing this play clearly, referee Vinh and assistant referee 2 signaled to recognize the goal for the away team. Fortunately, with the keen observation of the table referee (Dao Van Cuong) and the communication device, referee Cuong saved his two colleagues from a visible "lost goal".

Seven minutes into the second half, Hanoi T&T rekindled their hopes of a comeback when Gonzalo reduced the gap to 1-2. Unfortunately, while being behind, the away team lost a man when defender Hong Tien received a second yellow card - which became a red card - in the 62nd minute. With ten against eleven, Hanoi T&T conceded their third goal in the 71st minute: Moses made a beautiful pass down the middle for center-back Hai Anh to run in and pass the ball past goalkeeper Ngoc Tu, raising the score to 3-1.

The final match took place with too many fierce collisions, beyond the framework of football rules - Photo: Si Huyen

In the 90th minute, Ngoc Duy received a second yellow card and had to leave the field, leaving the away team with only 9 players. If referee Vinh had observed more clearly, Van Quyet would have deserved to be sent off for deliberately kicking the ball into Nguyen Rogierio's lower abdomen. From this free kick, Nguyen Rogierio beautifully swerved the ball to seal a 4-1 victory for Saigon Xuan Thanh.

Not only did they lose heavily in terms of score, Hanoi T&T also lost the affection of fans when three members (two players, one assistant coach) along with seven other yellow cards! For the first time, they reached the national cup final and lost. For the first time, the capital's football representative received a rain of penalty cards in a match. An unhappy ending for Mr. Phan Thanh Hung and his team in the last match of the 2012 season.

Thus, Da Nang and Saigon Xuan Thanh will represent Vietnamese football to participate in the AFC Cup in March next year.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT