SHB Da Nang have won a place in the final of the Vietnamese National Cup 2013 after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Dong Nai at the Dong Nai Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The wet and muddy pitch after heavy rain made SHB DN’s attacks ineffective, so Dong Nai took control of the game from the beginning.  Dong Nai’s striker Henry opened the scoring for the home side in the 33^rd minute, and doubled the lead by a flashing shot to the far corner of the net in the last minute of the first-half.

SHB DN’s striker Merlo scored a goal in the 60^th minute to narrow the gap to 1-2. 

SHB DN’s striker Merlo with the ball

Ten minutes later, Dong Nai’s Henry completed his hat trick with a powerful free kick from outside the penalty area – 1-3.

In the 73^rd minute, Hoang Quang shot at goal and the visitors  narrowed the gap again - 2-3.  Then, just 3 minutes later, SHB DN’s striker Merlo scored his second with a powerful header to level the game at 3-3.

Dong Nai’s striker Dinh Hiep sent a powerful header directly into the goal in the 83^rd minute, allowing his team to temporarily take the lead in the game 4-3.  Thanks to Ha Minh Tuan’s accurate header, SHB DN again equalised the score in the last minute of the second-half.  This took the game into a penalty shoot-out which SHB DN eventually won 4-3.  Despite the very difficult conditions, this was an exciting game with plenty of goals and a tense finish.

There was a similar result in yesterday’s other game when Ninh Binh defeated Dong Tam Long An 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had been drawn at 3-3.

The final of the National Cup will take place on 5 September when SHB DN will meet Ninh Binh at home.  Their next game in the V-League is on Sunday at 5pm when they are away to Long An, and they need a victory to keep their hopes of winning the league alive.