Van Phong punched his opponent, causing Viettel to lose the victory in the 85th minute.
In a single moment of carelessness, goalkeeper Van Phong gifted HAGL a penalty, allowing The Cong Viettel to equalize 1-1 and lose their advantage in the championship race.
In a match that seemed to be firmly in their grasp, The Cong Viettel squandered victory against HAGL due to a moment of lack of self-control from goalkeeper Nguyen Van Phong in the final minutes. This unsportsmanlike conduct directly led to the 1-1 equalizer from the penalty spot, changing the course of the championship race in the Four-Team friendly tournament.
The fateful moment in the 85th minute.
With only 5 minutes of regular time remaining, The Cong Viettel were leading 1-0 thanks to Danh Trung's first-half goal and maintaining a tight defensive formation. The military team had almost neutralized all of HAGL's attacking efforts, and victory was very close.
However, an unfortunate incident occurred. After securing the ball, goalkeeper Van Phong collided with HAGL striker Le Thanh Son, who was pressing him. Instead of remaining calm, Van Phong lost control and threw a punch directly at his opponent's face.
This blatant act of foul play took place right in front of the referee. Unsurprisingly, a penalty was immediately awarded to HAGL, and Van Phong received a yellow card.
The price of a moment of lack of control.
From 11 meters, foreign player Jhon Cley (named Conceicao in the article) made no mistake to beat Van Phong, leveling the score 1-1 for HAGL. This goal not only ruined the efforts of the entire The Cong Viettel team throughout the 85 minutes of play but also dealt a heavy blow to their ambitions.
With the draw, HAGL maintained their top spot with 4 points and held their fate in their own hands in the final match against PVF CAND. Meanwhile, The Cong Viettel only had themselves to blame. Van Phong's individual mistake turned a certain victory into a disappointing draw, putting his team at a significant disadvantage in the championship race.
