Nguyễn Xuân Son (No. 14) celebrates goals with his teammates and coach in Nam Định's 3-0 win over the Lion City Sailors on January 29 in Ninh Bình Province. — Photo courtesy of Nam Định FC

NINH BÌNH — Thép Xanh Nam Định secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup after beating the Lion City Sailors 3-0 on January 29 on their home ground at Thiên Trường Stadium, Ninh Bình Province.

Nguyễn Xuân Son netted twice in the second half after Caio César opened the score in the 35th minute for the host side during the first half against the Singapore Premier League champions.

It was Nam Định's fourth win in Group B and secured the team a place in the regional championship’s knockout rounds with one game to spare.

Coach Mauro Jerónimo was pleased with the Brazil-born player and warned his side's competitors that Son is yet to hit top form despite scoring his seventh goal in the last three matches.

“No, he is still not in perfect condition,” said Jerónimo, when asked about the performance of the 28-year-old centre forward. “You can imagine what he will be capable of when he reaches that level.”

Son missed the opening round of the tournament due to his ongoing recovery from a broken leg sustained in the final of the ASEAN Championship last January but, in the three matches since, he has earned a glut of goals.

He scored a hat trick in the 3-0 win over Shan United FC and a brace in a 4-1 victory over Bangkok United before claiming another pair against the Lion City Sailors. 

As a result, Son, who picked up a third Man of the Match award for his performance on Thursday, leads the scoring charts by two goals from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC’s Bérgson da Silva and Tampines Rovers FC’s Hide Higashikawa.

“I am very proud of him, and of the entire team,” Jerónimo said of his striker. “People focus on the goals, but you also need to look at his defensive work. 

“One of the goals came from a pressing situation. His work rate, humility and willingness to work for the team without the ball are just as important as his scoring ability.”

Jerónimo felt the win, which maintained Nam Định’s perfect record in the competition so far, was well earned after his side’s “complete” performance.

“Defensively, we were extremely disciplined, and the players followed our tactical plan perfectly – even beyond my expectations,” he said.

“We knew we were facing a very strong team. Of course we wanted to win, but it was also very important not to concede. Aside from our quality with the ball, we were excellent when we did not have possession.

“A strong team must know how to attack and how to defend, and tonight we did well in both aspects.”

Lion City Sailors coach Aleksandar Ranković conceded his team had been second best throughout the 90 minutes, even if he felt the margin of victory flattered the hosts.

“It was obviously a very disappointing match for us,” he said. “I think in the first half we were a bit slow on the ball, and that was probably our biggest problem today.

“Against a very aggressive Nam Định side, I think they deserved the win. Maybe a 3-0 scoreline is slightly harsh and does not fully reflect the balance of the game, but some of the goals we conceded were situations that we simply gave away.”

Earlier on January 28, another Vietnamese side, the Hà Nội Police, were ousted from the tournament after a 2-0 loss to Malaysia's Selangor FC. — VNS