Vietnam ‘derby’ win delights Huynh Duc

Vietnam ‘derby’ win delights Huynh Duc

Da Nang: A relieved Le Huynh Duc was delighted to see Da Nang come through a roller-coaster encounter with Binh Duong and claim a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup.

Three times the hosts led in the all-Vietnamese clash at Chi Long Stadium and three times they were pegged back by a determined Binh Duong side.

Ultimately, it took a dramatic goal in the final seconds of extra time from Doan Hung Son to settle the contest 4-3 in Da Nang's favour, the defender pouncing on a loose ball after keeper Nguyen The Ahn failed to hold Sebastian Gaston Merlo's free-kick.

The victory was all the more sweeter given Da Nang had been beaten by Binh Doung in the V-League prior to the game although the manner of the triumph did little for Huynh Duc's blood pressure.

“I am happy right now to know that we will play in the quarter-final stage,” said the Da Nang boss.

“Of course playing the same opponents twice a week is not very comfortable, especially as Binh Duong just beat us in V-League and made us suffer a lot with their football.

“It was a test for my nerves as my players could not finalise the game until the end of extra time. However, I must appreciate my players’ concentration and efforts.”

Huynh Duc also had words of consolation for their vanquished rivals, insisting they too would have made the last eight faced with different opposition.

“Binh Duong showed that they also deserved a place in the quarter-final stage, looking at how they reacted after conceding a goal,” he added.

“They also proved that they are the strong favourites for V-League title this season. They have many solutions in attack and for goals. They know how to push the players’ potential.

“On the other hand, we sometimes suffer a lot when Gaston Merlo loses his scoring touch. To some extent, we were a bit lucky when finding the net in the dying seconds. Binh Duong know us very well and we know them, meaning the game was a tough clash

“We will try to play much better in the quarter-final stage but thanks to Binh Duong for their contribution to a beautiful game today”

Binh Doung boss Dang Tran Chinh was circumspect in defeat, citing Merlo's contribution as a decisive factor.

“We tried everything we could to keep the game in our hands. However, this was not our day as Da Nang were tough opponents,” he said.

“They bounced back strongly from the defeat last week with Gaston Merlo surprisingly efficient during the game. It was Gaston Merlo who beat Osita Egbo in the air when scoring the opening goal.”

Tran Chinh also refused to blame The Anh for the defeat despite the keeper arguably being partly at fault for two of Da Nang's goals.

“I also felt sorry for my goalkeeper’s mistake today,” he added.

“It was a tiny mistake but proved to be costly to our team. He punched badly the ball to give Da Nang their second goal.

“However, I accept the loss as I know my players did their best. It is football and fate will lean on those who never stop trying until the last whistle.”

from http://www.the-afc.com