Hanoi seal berth at AFC Cup Inter-Zone finals

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi FC made history as the first ever ASEAN club to take part in the AFC Cup Inter-Zonal Finals on August 27 in Ashgabat city, Turkmenistan.

Captain Nguyen Van Quyet scored twice to help Hanoi draw with hosts Altyn Asyr 2-2 in the return match of the inter-zonal semi-final and won 5-4 on aggregate to seal their final berth.

Altyn Asyr’s skipper Serdar Geldiyev meanwhile grabbed both goals from penalties, one in each half.

Hanoi won 3-2 in the first leg match on home turf last week.

Altyn Asyr were expected to progress to a second successive Inter-Zonal Final when they opened the attacks just minutes from the first whistle.

Resul Hojayev pushed the ball near the Vietnamese side’s box and tested goalkeeper Nguyen Van Cong with a straight finish which went a little wide.

Hanoi, who promised to play beautiful football, answered with strong counter-attacks.

National midfielder left keeper Mammet Orazmuhamedow behind but his shot was blocked by a defender.

Despite the hosts’ effort, it was 1-0 for the visitors in the 15th minute.

Skipper Quyet ran into the box to control the ball from the right wing and his close-range finish found the net.

The goal was a strong push for Hanoi who created many difficulties for Altyn Asyr’s defenders and forced Orazmuhamedow to work hard.

Quyet nearly made his double in the 37th minute with a free kick to Orazmuhamedow’s near corner but the keeper dived to protect his net.

Pape Omar was too fast to pass Altyn Asyr players and was in a face-to-face situation with Orazmuhamedow but the Senegalese striker was unable to beat him.

Altyn Asyr also threatened goalie Cong several times but Murat Yakshiye and Begench Akmamedov did not finish well.

It was in extra time of the first half that defender Nguyen Van Dung pulled Resul Hojayev down in the box and the hosts were given a penalty.

Geldiyev easily beat Cong to make it 1-1.

Yazguly Hojageldiyevr of Altyn Asyr said at a press conference that his players were asked to keep eyes on Hanoi’s talented midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai who scored two goals in the first leg match. But Hai was not the only star of the team. When Hai was quiet, Quyet made the highlight.

Altyn Asyr looked to have better momentum after the break but their determination was broken with the second goal for Hanoi.

Defender Ngan Van Dai took a ball from Altyn Asyr and headed it to Quyet who restored Hanoi’s two-goal lead on aggregate in the 51st minute. Quyet, who also scored a goal in the first leg match, steered a header above Orazmuhammedov into the vacant net. It was his fifth goals in five AFC Cup matches.

Things seemed to be going right for the visiting side as time ran to the end and they still kept the pace of the match.

However, Mehail Titov was pulled down in the 81st minute and Geldiyev beat keeper Cong for a second time.

Cong then made a superb save just a minute later to prevent Titov’s attempt with a powerful kick.

In the two-leg inter-zone final, Hanoi will play the winners of the match between Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh and April 25 Sports Club of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 25 and October 2. - VNA