SHB Da Nang had their National Cup Champions ambitions crushed when they were beaten 1-2 by Hai Phong yesterday in the city’s Chi Lang Stadium.

SHB DN started the match very well and opened the scoring in the 30^th minute with midfielder Nguyen Sa’s powerful header.

In the 53^rd minute, Hai Phong striker Stevens’ direct shot into the goal levelled the score at 1-1.  Then, the Jamaican striker doubled their score with a perfect free kick into SHB DN’s net in the 86^th minute, giving the visiting team the 1-2 win.

SHB DN and Hai Phong players

SHB DN’s coach Le Huynh Duc could not hide his disappointment at the loss to Hai Phong who were not expected to be strong opponents.  He mainly blamed the loss on the defensive line’s underlying weaknesses, allowing their rivals to take control of the midfield.  In particular, defender Duy Lam who came in as the replacement for suspended Hoang Quang did not meet the expectations of the coaching board.

In addition, the midfield duo of Hai Lam and Phuoc Vinh did not produce the perfect combination and there was too much space left between SHB’s midfielders and strikers.  As a result, the midfielders were not able to accurately pass the ball to the foreign strike duo of Rousseaux and Fraser to give them any chance of scoring.

The loss to Hai Phong has left coach Duc with some worries about his team’s upcoming V-League matches with Dong Nai on 28 June, Ha Noi T&T on 4 July, and Binh Duong on 11 July.