National Cup: Thanh Hoa lifts to the championship

The 2023 National Cup final is a match of two unfinished-ambitions team. Thanh Hoa FC started the V-League 2023 impressively with the first place, but then gradually dropped in the championship race. Meanwhile, Viettel Club, even was also close to the second V-League title at some moments, but the defeat against the Hanoi Police Club in the 6th round of the second phase made the opportunity for the team of coach Thach Bao Khanh.

The desire to finish the season with a title has motivated Viettel and Thanh Hoa FC to enter the final match of the National Cup with great determination. Having the home field advantage, Thanh Hoa FC actively entered the match at high speed, and the dispute was fierce in the midfield to gain control. Coach Velizar Popov’s team drilled a strong break into the two lines thanks to fast running feet and pushed the ball in to let striker Bruno Cunha seize the opportunity.

However, Viettel FC has carefully prepared a plan to resist the pressure of Thanh Hoa FC. The defense of the red jersey under the command of Bui Tien Dung has kept the distance of the squad quite well. Thanh Hoa FC only had a really good chance in the first half in the 34th minute. After a team-mate’s header, Bruno clumsily finished close to the goal.

The Viettel FC was the team that deploys a more contoured attack. Thanks to Hoang Duc’s mobility and Mohamed Essam’s sweeping ability, Viettel FC continuously countered. In the 19th minute, Van Hao had the opportunity to shoot the ball on the right wing, but he swung his leg to hit the crossbar unfortunately. Two minutes later, it was Essam’s turn to put the ball across the goal of Thanh Hoa FC.

The few chances in the first half were the result of a tight, cautious game. The two teams compete very fiercely, not afraid to play hard to dominate every square meter of grass, especially in the midfield. The circuit of the match was cut many times by fouls, but this is understandable because no team wants to make mistakes in the final.

After the break, coach Popov strengthened the attack for Thanh Hoa FC when he launched Paulo Conrado into the field. The host focused on attacking on both sides, especially on the right wing, and then stuffed the ball inside for the foreign players. At the beginning of the second half, Bruno had a chance to finish in a messy ball in the Viettel box, but once again the Brazilian foreigner missed. In the 61st minute, Viettel club responded with a cross from the right and Jaha responded with a long shot, but the ball went wide of the post.

The cautious mentality, waiting for each other’s mistakes, made the final match slow, without dangerous balls. The result was a 0-0 draw, forcing the two teams to settle on a penalty shootout. And on the series of chance kicks, Thanh Hoa FC is the more brave team when defeating the opponent with the final score of 5-3 to become the 2023 National Cup champion.