In the quarter-final match of the 2024-2025 National Cup on the evening of March 30, Hoang Anh Gia Lai suffered a 0-2 defeat to The Cong Viettel.
In this match, Hoang Anh Gia Lai mainly used many reserve players. However, coach Le Quang Trai's students still stood firm in the first half. However, in the second half, Hoang Anh Gia Lai's declining physical strength caused them to concede goals twice in a row, thereby losing 0-2 in the end.
Not only stopping in the quarter-finals of the National Cup, Hoang Anh Gia Lai also received bad news when center back Pham Ly Duc was injured at the end of the second half. The knee of this 2003 midfielder was covered with a fixed rock to prevent inflammation and swelling. Sharing at the post-match press conference, coach Le Quang Trai said that the bad grass at My Dinh Stadium was the cause of his student's injury.
"Ly Duc and Dinh Lam were both injured due to bad pitch. Lam suffered from mild pain, but for Duc, the doctors reported a serious injury to his left knee. Duc just blocked the ball normally but the strong impact on the pitch caused him serious injuries," said coach Le Quang Trai.
Pham Ly Duc is 1m82 tall, graduated from Nutifood JMG Academy. He joined Hoang Anh Gia Lai in 2024 and played as an adult. The stable performance in the mountain town team's jersey helped Ly Duc be called up to the Vietnam national team by coach Kim Sang-sik during the FIFA Days in March.
Regarding the quality of the My Dinh turf, not only Mr. Trai, but also coach Nguyen Duc Thang of The Cong Viettel expressed his dissatisfaction.
He said: "After the most recent event, the My Dinh Stadium surface today has to be said to be really bad, affecting both teams. Because the pitch was bad, we had to change the strategy. Controlling the ball on a rough pitch is really difficult."
