Hanoi FC make history by progressing to AFC Cup Inter-Zone finals

Captain Nguyen Van Quyet bagged a brace to help Hanoi FC achieve a draw against the hosts Altyn Asyr, with the return match of the inter-zonal semi-final ultimately finishing 2-2 in Turkmenistan.

Thanks to Hanoi FC’s first leg advantage however, the Vietnamese team achieved a 5-4 on aggregate to seal their place in the final.

During the fixture the Hanoi FC players showed great determination and looked confident during the first few minutes of the game.

They achieved a breakthrough in the 15th minute when striker Van Quyet moved into the box to control the ball from the left wing before finding the net with a close-range finish.

During injury time in the first half, defender Nguyen Van Dung pulled down Resul Hojayev  in the box, conceding a penalty to the hosts. Geldiyev slotted the chance away past Vietnamese goalkeeper Van Cong to level the tie to 1-1.

Captain Nguyen Van Quyet struck again to regain Hanoi FC’s advantage and make the score 2-1 in the 51st minute. Altyn Asyr continued to fight on until the end, and when Mehail Titov was pulled down in the 81st minute, Geldiyev beat goalkeeper Van Cong once again to make the score 2-2.

With Hanoi through to inter-zone final, the fixture will be held across two-legs. The V-League champions 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 on September 25 and October 2.