Round of 16 of the National Cup: Cong Phuong could not save Binh Phuoc Club

On Pleiku Stadium, Cong Phuong experienced an emotional match. He did not celebrate when he scored a goal against Phan Dinh Vu Hai, equalizing 1-1 for Binh Phuoc Club. Previously, HAGL opened the score thanks to a cushion in the penalty area by Dung Quang Nho. In the lucky penalty shootout, the former HAGL striker was responsible for taking the first kick and continuing to score against his former team. Binh Phuoc Club also had an advantage when Chau Ngoc Quang failed right after. But on the day AFF Cup 2024 champion Tran Trung Kien played so well and blocked two penalties, coach Nguyen Anh Duc and his team accepted the end of their National Cup journey in the round of 16.

Binh Phuoc Club will not be happy with the above result, but the loss to HAGL will also teach this team many lessons. This season, Cong Phuong has 6 goals and 1 assist, making a great contribution to helping Binh Phuoc Club, which is still chasing Ninh Binh in the first division rankings. With a goal contribution rate of nearly 80%, Cong Phuong is still a very important player, worthy of becoming a professional and spiritual support for Binh Phuoc Club players.

However, Binh Phuoc Club is relying too much on Cong Phuong, meaning that when the brightest star is locked, this team has no other attack plan. This was clearly shown in the match against HAGL. Against a fierce, disciplined defense, with strong young midfielders like Pham Ly Duc, Dung Quang Nho, Cong Phuong did not show much. This player’s goal also came only after goalkeeper Vu Hai made a mistake. The situation of Binh Phuoc Club being deadlocked while Cong Phuong was deadlocked has also happened many times this season.

The problem of depending on Cong Phuong needs to be resolved soon by coach Anh Duc. If not in the race to win promotion to the V-League next season, they will likely fall behind. Because its direct competitor, Ninh Binh Club, has many triggers. In addition to Hoang Duc, coach Nguyen Viet Thang also has Mach Ngoc Ha, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Dinh Thanh Binh… who possess high performance.

The quality of Binh Phuoc Club’s squad is not too inferior to Ninh Binh team. In attack, they still have many good players such as Ho Sy Giap, Ho Tuan Tai, Le Thanh Binh, and Nguyen Kien Quyet. These are all players with experience playing in the V-League. Notably, Thanh Binh is a very charming striker in the first division, having helped Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa Club return to the V-League. However, up to now coach Anh Duc has not been able to choose the most suitable framework to help improve the attacking ability of Binh Phuoc Club. Besides Cong Phuong, the above players have hardly left any mark.

A team competing for the championship needs a star who can shine regularly like Cong Phuong. However, that is only a necessary condition, the sufficient condition is to have more players who know how to shine for that star to create diversity, making it impossible for opponents to catch up. And Binh Phuoc Club does not have these conditions.