National striker Hà Đức Chinh (middle) celebrates with his teammates in the 1-0 win of Đà Nẵng against Huế in the qualifying round of the National Cup yesterday. Photo toquoc.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Đà Nẵng defeated Huế 1-0 in the qualifying round of the National Cup yesterday.

The game was held at Tự Do Stadium in Huế.

National team's striker Hà Đức Chinh contributed a goal in the victory of Đà Nẵng, however, coach Lê Huỳnh Đức wanted his player to do better.

In the first 45 minutes, the visiting side were strong, but could not find the opening goal. In the 67th minute, Chinh scored the only goal of the match from the 11m spot.

“The match was rather difficult with Đà Nẵng. I was not satisfied when Chinh and Văn Long had many opportunities, but missed them. After the break due to the pandemic, the players have not found their form,” said coach Lê Huỳnh Đức of Đà Nẵng at the press conference after the match.

“Chinh was not in good form last season. This year, Chinh's performance is also not good. He has a liver problem, so he can’t work hard and his physical strength is not guaranteed. I have to ask him regularly, take care of him and get permission from the doctor to play,” Đức added.

In the 2020 V.League 1, Đà Nẵng lost two consecutive games against Bình Dường and Sài Gòn. Winning in the national cup is an important opportunity for both coach and players of Đà Nẵng to improve their resolve for the next stage.

“We need to win to boost our spirits. This victory helps the team to be confident in the upcoming journey,” said Đức.

Coach Đức said the biggest problem for Đà Nẵng now is the co-ordination between the positions in the front line. Chinh and Long have not cooperated well, though they have practiced quite a lot. The co-ordination between Chinh and Đà Nẵng’s foreign strikers this season has not been as good as expected from the coaching staff.

Đà Nẵng will next face HCM City at Thống Nhất Stadium.

In other matches yesterday, An Giang tied with Long An 2-2, Sông Lam Nghệ An  beat Bình Định 1-0, while Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu won Sài Gòn 2-1.

On Saturday, Nam Định bested Hoàng Anh Gia Lai 2-0. VNS