On the evening of May 23, at Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City club suffered a 0-2 defeat to Binh Duong in the 24th round of V.League 2024-2025.
This loss has left HCMC still not really safe in the relegation race. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team is ranked 10th with 25 points, 5 points more than the bottom team.
Notably, refereeing continued to be a highlight in this match.
Sharing after the match, coach Phung Thanh Phuong of Ho Chi Minh City Club pointed out 3 situations that made him dissatisfied with the refereeing work.
"Today, luck did not come to us. The first half had 2 advantage situations for us.
Ngoc Long's goal (rejected for offside in the 3rd minute), the second situation was Trung Hieu had an impact on Ngoc Long but the referee did not intervene.
The third situation in the second half, Thanh Khoi's free kick had to come back because Binh Duong fouled Thanh Khoi before.
The referee explained that Ho Chi Minh City had an advantage, but Khoi lost control. In that situation, Binh Duong players must be punished first", coach Phung Thanh Phuong shared.
"Certainly, from today, in the first half, our satisfaction (with the referee) is not there," Mr. Phuong emphasized.
Coach Phung Thanh Phuong also pointed out that the strikers are the weak point of Ho Chi Minh City at the moment.
He said: "Football is the top factor for players to score. In terms of expertise, Ho Chi Minh City has difficulty in the striker position. After losing Pedro, he scored in the previous match.
The only striker, Van Binh, was injured after a collision with the goalkeeper. The remaining time without a striker, I did not score".
In terms of a relegation race, Mr. Phuong said: "The more difficult it is to the end for the lower teams as well as Ho Chi Minh City. All the lower teams, the line between the relegation and relegation is the same."
