Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức said good bye to Đà Nẵng after 13 years of training. Photo zingnews.vn

Football

ĐÀ NẴNG   After a 2-1 defeat to defending champions Viettel on Sunday at home, coach Lê Huỳnh Đức of SHB Đà Nẵng yesterday requested for resignation, which was accepted by club officials.

The loss was Đà Nẵng's fourth in six matches and put a serious dent in their chances of finishing in the top six teams after the mid-season split, with 16 points in 12 matches only good enough for ninth in the V.League 1 table.

The series of bad results put great pressure on coach Đức and immediately after the home loss, he resigned.

Đức came to Đà Nẵng to replace coach Phan Thanh Hùng in 2008 and helped the team win V.League 1 championships in 2009 and 2012.

“As a coach, it is normal to work or take a break. If you do well, the players are excited, then you succeed. And when I failed, I took responsibility,” said Đức.

“As for my way of building my playing style, I think it doesn't matter,” he added.

After Đức resigned, Đà Nẵng contacted coach Hùng and hired him.

Coach Hùng coached Becamex Bình Dương earlier this season, but due to health reasons, he resigned but is now apparently well enough to work again.

Hùng was the former national team coach and guided Than Quảng Ninh to fourth place in the V.League 1 2020.  Before coming to Quảng Ninh in 2016, the 60-year-old coach helped Hà Nội FC win V.League 1 titles in 2010 and 2013, and the Super Cup in 2010.

Earlier, Hùng played for Quảng Nam Đà Nẵng (now SHB Đà Nẵng) and won the national football championship in 1992. He and his team reached the semi-finals of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1992, the best result of a Vietnamese team in the continental event.

He was called up to the national team in 1993 to compete in the 1994 World Cup qualifying round at the age of 33 and scored a goal for the Vietnamese team in a 3-2 defeat to Singapore. After that, he also played in the SEA Games 17.

In other games on Sunday, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) drew with Bình Dương 2-2; Hà Nội FC beat Sài Gòn FC 3-1; HCM City defeated Hải Phòng 3-0; Thanh Hóa beat Sông Lam Nghệ An 1-0; Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh bested Nam Định 3-2; and Bình Định drew 1-1 with Quảng Ninh.

After 12 matches, HAGL lead the league 29 points, followed by Viettel with 26 points.  VNS