On the evening of September 14, Becamex HCMC club suffered a 1-3 defeat to Truong Tuoi Dong Nai, thereby stopping at the qualifying round of the 2025-2026 National Cup.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, coach Nguyen Anh Duc of Becamex HCMC gave statements to the referee. He said that the referee helped Truong Tuoi Dong Nai win.
"First of all, congratulations to Dong Nai Fresh School. No one would want to go deep in a tournament, and if they failed, they would regret it. Today, not Truong Tuoi Dong Nai played well but the referee caught it well. If they fail professionally, I agree, but the referee fails. This match was over 10 fouls without 1 card, many situations.
Today's match was a pity. Thought to thank the referee for helping Dong Nai win from free kicks. I rarely talk about referees. Before the match, you can judge the situation. It's really unfair."
Mr. Duc also pointed out the difficulties of Becamex HCMC club at the present time: "Becamex HCMC is facing difficulties from humans. Tien Linh went to Ho Chi Minh City Police, Viet Cuong was injured, Minh Khoa was also injured. We are having a hard time. Just returned, I needed time for you to get in the air together".
On the other side of the front line, coach Nguyen Viet Thang of Becamex HCMC also expressed his joy. However, he is also cautious because the road ahead is still very long.
He said: "My players are good people. When they are confident and focused, I think at home, the difference with V.League is not too big because they are leaving foreign players. Becamex HCMC organized better, played better. We are too early to be happy, there are more than 20 games left to strive for. Hopefully, the beginning and the end will pass.
The team has a lot to do. Winning is fun but you have to work. I often say that as a coach, I have to say things that are difficult to hear and watch things that I don't want to watch.
My job is to fix the players' mistakes. Good, they are good but they still have to do a lot. To score this match, the spirit is 10 points, the attitude is 10 points, the concentration is 10 points, the expertise is 6 points.
Coach Nguyen Viet Thang said Cong Phuong is in mild pain. When asked about Minh Vuong's performance - who contributed 1 goal and 1 assist, coach Viet Thang only briefly replied: "A score of 10 is not enough for Minh Vuong".
