Coach Da Nang: 'It is very difficult to stay relegation without scoring'

At Hoa Xuan's home field, Da Nang attacked and created many opportunities but could not concede SLNA. In the 84th minute, they received bitter fruit, when Dinh Xuan Tien scored the only goal, bringing victory to the away team. "I never thought I could lose this match," coach Pham Minh Duc said. "In fact, we only have a way to win, but we can't do it."

According to the Hanoi military leader, Da Nang players want to win, but they are psychologically tense, so handling the last step is not good.

Mr. Duc was appointed to replace coach Phan Thanh Hung to lead Da Nang from round 11 of phase I. Initial positive signals have appeared, culminating in a 1-0 victory over Hanoi Police in round 13. But then, Da Nang drew Binh Duong 0-0 in turn, losing to Ho Chi Minh City Club, HAGL and SLNA with the same score 0-1. "Four consecutive matches without a goal is a bad achievement," said Mr. Duc. "I told the players that if you don't score, it's very difficult to stay in the relegation zone."

Currently, Da Nang has 11 points with a difference of -10, less than two teams ranked above three points, Binh Duong (difference -4) and Ho Chi Minh City club (-11). In the last round of the relegation race group on August 11, Binh Duong faced Ho Chi Minh City club and only needed a draw to stay relegated, while Da Nang lost the right to self-determination even after winning strongly at Khanh Hoa Stadium.

"There is still hope for relegation, and there is still a slap in the country," Mr. Duc said. "But we have to score and wait for the results."

Since the 2001 season, Da Nang has never dropped out of the top division in Vietnam, with two championships in 2009 and 2012. If relegated, Da Nang will follow in the footsteps of two former V-League champions, Quang Nam and Long. An.