Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai has been named among the top five freekick takers at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2019, following a vote conducted by the confederation.

Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai (Photo: VNA)

As Hanoi FC’s star player and fresh off his recent Silver Ball award, Quang Hai impressed fans during the regional tournament last year by scoring a freekick in his team’s game against opponents from Turkmenistan, helping Hanoi FC ease to a 3-2 victory.

The AFC wrote, “Anywhere just outside the penalty area is Nguyen Quang Hai’s territory and in the 2019 Inter-Zone semi-final first leg, he showed Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr exactly what he was capable of with a delightful effort that left goalkeeper Mammet Orazmuhammedov flat-footed.

With Hanoi FC a goal down as half-time approached, the midfielder bent the ball around the wall to level the score with his first of two stunning goals in a 3-2 victory for the Vietnamese champions.”

Together with Hai in the top five, other candidates are Gerald Pangkali of Indonesia, Sunil Chhetri of India, Mohamed Adnan of Bahrain, and Yousef Nasser of Kuwait.

The poll is scheduled to last until June 5.

Source: VNA