Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh Dung has helped Ninh Binh make history as they won the national Super Cup on their home turf at Hoa Lu Stadium.
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| Ninh Binh players celebrate their first ever National Super Cup win |
Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh Dung has helped Ninh Binh make history as they won the national Super Cup on their home turf at Hoa Lu Stadium.
The Ninh Binh team, which is the National Cup winner, defeated V-League champions Hanoi T&T 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the two sides tied 2-2 in the official time on January 4.
Playing with the strong support of home fans, Ninh Binh opened the scoring at the 23rd minute by captain Tran Manh Dung, receiving the ball on a header by T&T's midfielder Goran Gruica who tried to move the ball away from the box.
But the powerful T&T had a goal just three minutes later, originating from a corner kick by national team member Pham Thanh Luong.
Luong's ball found Van Hieu in the penalty area. The tall midfielder jumped high and directed his header straight to the net.
Ninh Binh missed a chance to score for the second time, as Van Thang missed his penalty shootout in the last second of the first half.
The Hanoian team tried to play in defence in the second half, as they faced strong attacks from the hosts. However, they could only stand until the 73rd minute when Van Duyet defeated keeper Duong Hong Son with a straight shot.
The hosts were effective in attacking, but not strong enough in defending. Their defenders worked ineffectively to protect their lead, letting T&T level the score for the second time six minutes later.
Gonzalo Marronkle gave a perfect ball to Hoang Vu Samson, whose close tap easily found the net.
The tie score was maintained to the end of the match.
In the penalty shootout, when Ninh Binh's Pham Van Quyen and Sim Woo-sub failed to score, many fans believed they would say goodbye with the dream Cup.
However, goalie Dung played the best moments in his career when he stopped three attempts by the visitors, helping Ninh Binh come from behind to win 3-2.
The hosts, for the first time in history, grabbed the Super Cup, a promising result before they start a new season later this week.
(Source:VNA)
