HÀ NỘI — SHB Đà Nẵng knocked defending champions Quảng Ninh Coal out of the National Cup with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarter-finals match in Đà Nẵng yesterday.
Đà Nẵng won 4-1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-final.

Hòa Xuân Stadium is considered to be a lucky venue for the hosts, who have rarely lost when playing on their home turf.

It proved true yesterday, as the hosts came from behind to get an equal result.

Quảng Ninh Coal who lost 0-3 in the first leg last Friday arrived at the stadium determined to post a huge win. This was the only way they could continue defending their title.

They scored first with Patiyo Tambwe’s goal in the 10th minute. The Congolese striker converted a penalty kick into the winner by shooting to the right corner.

However, Đà Nẵng did not let them rejoice for long.

Đỗ Merlo showed his outstanding performance just two minutes later with a tap in from close quarters.

Merlo, who received the Việt Nam passport last week, kept threatening Quảng Ninh’s net many times throughout the match, but he wasted his chances.

Quảng Ninh tried harder in the second half to find Đà Nẵng’s net, but their strikers could not beat the hosts’ defenders who were very focussed.

At the Thống Nhất Stadium, HCM City were crushed into pieces by visiting Sông Lam Nghệ An.

The hosts had to win this match with at least two goals to proceed in the tournament. However, they could not stop Sông Lam Nghệ An from scoring.

Hồ Phúc Tịnh opened the score at the 16th minute. Đậu Thanh Phong made his name in the score board six minutes later. Quế Ngọc Hải, who was expected not to play in this match due to injury, made it 3-0 with a straight free kick, and Phan Văn Đức sealed their win with a narrow-angle finish 10 minutes before the finish.

With an aggregate loss of 1-7, HCM City were eliminated from the tournament.

HCM City’s President Lê Công Vinh ran to the stands to apologise to the local fans.

Vinh said HCM City were focussing on both the National Cup and the V.League, which will return to action this weekend. However, the team could not play well, which bothered its supporters.

Vinh promised that he would do his best to elevate HCM City in the next season, or he would resign.

In two other matches, Quảng Nam beat Cần Thơ 3-0 and repeated their success of entering the semi-finals last year. They will play Sông Lam Nghệ An in the next round.

Becamex Bình Dương won 2-1 over Sài Gòn and joined the last-four stage, where they will play SHB Đà Nẵng.

The semi-finals’ first leg is on September 20, and the second leg is scheduled for October 6. — VNS