On the evening of May 30, in the make-up match of round 23 of V.League 2024-2025 at Binh Duong Stadium, the home team Binh Duong suffered a 1-3 defeat to Hanoi Police.
Notably, in this match, striker Nguyen Tien Linh only appeared on the bench of Binh Duong. He also did not wear competitive shoes but only appeared with sneakers.
When asked about the reason Tien Linh did not compete, coach Nguyen Anh Duc of Binh Duong said: " Tien Linh is injured. Linh only appeared on the bench with his brothers. The team has no one to replace. Linh is the senior of the team, and his responsibility is also heavy. Linh is forming a team together".
This is certainly not good news for coach Kim Sang-sik when Tien Linh is also on the list of the Vietnam national team preparing for the match against Malaysia on June 10. In addition to Tien Linh, the Vietnam national team has only 3 other strikers: Nguyen Cong Phuong, Pham Tuan Hai and Dinh Thanh Binh.
Returning to Binh Duong club, despite scoring the opening goal right at home, coach Anh Duc's students still lost 1-3 to him. However, coach Anh Duc is still satisfied with his players' performance.
He said: "The team scored first but lost back, there is nothing that is not satisfying. They play hard, the effort must be recognized. The team showed their spirit and determination. Football has won or lost, you are also sad. I am a coach, I am extremely satisfied with you guys".
On the other side of the front line, coach Mano Polking of Hanoi Police also said that his team has encountered many difficulties. He said: "It was very difficult to get behind in the second half. My players kept the faith to fight, creating a lot of pressure and scoring opportunities. We always maintain our wishes, play well, win and have a high ranking at the end of the season".
