Song Lam Nghe An wins third National Cup trophy

VietNamNet Bridge – Phan Van Duc scored a double and assisted in another score to help Song Lam Nghe An beat Becamex Binh Duong 5-1 in the second leg match of the National Cup final yesterday in Vinh City.

Song Lam Nghe An players celebrate their National Cup victory after beating Becamex Binh Duong 7-2 in aggregate yesterday in Vinh City. — VNS Photo Tuan Tu

The aggregate result of 7-2 after two legs brought Song Lam Nghe An the trophy, ending their waiting for six years.

Song Lam Nghe An had all elements working for them ahead of the game.

They played on their home turf, which was filled by nearly 30,000 supporters, when the organisers decided to open the door.

They had their best players full of energy, after they were rested from the V.League match last Saturday.

And they won the first leg match 2-1 over Binh Duong.

This was the reason why coach Nguyen Duc Thang asked his players to compete by attacking at high speed from the beginning.

The 21-year-old midfielder Duc received a ball in the box at the 16th minute and headed to the net. His finish hit the pole and bounced back to reach Kovacevic Danko, who may have scored the easiest goal in his career, netting to the empty net from two metres.

Five minutes later, Duc, himself, made his name in the electric board with a finish to the far corner of former national team goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong.

National striker Nguyen Anh Duc narrowed the result for Binh Duong with a close-range tap-in, after a one-two combination with teammate Hoang Nam in front of keeper Tran Nguyen Manh.

But that was all that the visitors could do in this match.

Their hope of overthrowing Song Lam Nghe An was nearly ended when Duc netted for the second time, with a goal some minutes before the interval.

In the second half, coach Tran Binh Su decided to play with three strikers, with a view to find more goals.

However, Song Lam Nghe An defenders were also as good as their strikers, as they stopped all of Binh Duong’s attempts to score.

At the same time, Song Lam Nghe An netted two more goals by Olaha and Ho Phuc Tinh.

When the final whistle was blown, players and coaches ran to find their teammates and colleagues to share their happiness. They hugged and burst into tears.

It was the third National Cup title for the hosts and their 38th silverware in their history, making them the richest team of cups in Vietnam.

“Every victory is honourable, every cup is priceless. I am the happiest man of the day. We have been waiting for a long time for this day,” said coach Thang, with tears in his eyes.

“We have a really wonderful match. We are better than them. My players showed their skills, techniques and spirit. They scored very well. We deserved to take the title,” he said.

Source: VNS