Coach Binh Dinh has a hard time swallowing the loss to Viettel

At the break between the two halves, coach Duc Thang told the players if they had the opportunity to take advantage, otherwise the policy of waiting for the penalty shootout. Near the end of the match, he threw Mac Hong Quan and Nghiem Xuan Tu on the field to prepare for this project. But in the second minute of the second half, the substitute player Nguyen Duc Chien headed the ball into the dead corner to score, helping Viettel to win Binh Dinh 1-0 at Hang Day Stadium.

Head coach Binh Dinh praised the Viettel midfielder but still felt uncomfortable. "I have to gnaw on sadness, it's hard to accept when I lose at the extra minute," Thang said.

Binh Dinh did not complete the goal of reaching the final, accepting to win third place with PVF-CAND – the team lost to Thanh Hoa 1-4 in the match at the same time. Last year, they lost to Hanoi FC 0-2 in the last match.

Meanwhile, coach Thach Bao Khanh said that Viettel's goal was the result of practice. "We practice situations like that and it is intentional to throw Duc Chien and Xuan Kien (the playmaker) into the field," said Khanh.

The final match of the 2023 National Cup is scheduled to take place at Thanh Hoa Stadium on August 20. Viettel aims to win the championship for the first time, and the last time they reached the final was in 2020 – losing to Hanoi FC 1-2.

As an observer, coach Duc Thang assessed that Viettel has a higher chance of winning the championship thanks to its good force and excellent domestic players trained by themselves. Mr. Thang said that it was the result of a methodical investment during 12 years of Viettel Youth Football Training Center, in which he was part of the first generation of coaches.

"Viettel deserves the results it has today after investing a lot of money," coach Duc Thang said. "Viettel will have more chances to win than Thanh Hoa."