Vietnam midfielder Hoang Duc set to shine at 2022 AFC Cup
VOV.VN - 24-year-old footballer Nguyen Hoang Duc looks poised to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Van Quyet as Vietnamese stars who shone at the AFC Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) wrote on its website.
The 2022 AFC Cup is scheduled to return on June 24 and, for the first time since the cancelled 2020 edition, ASEAN teams will grace the continental competition with 11 sides from Southeast Asia placed in Groups G to I.
Ahead of the ASEAN Zone’s big kick-off on June 24, the AFC’s website has selected several notable players throughout the continent to watch out for, including Nguyen Hoang Duc of Viettel FC.
“A key component of the Viettel FC and a regular for the Vietnam national team, Nguyen Hoang Duc has been among the most talked-about players in the Southeast Asian country in recent years and is set to grace the AFC Cup for the first time,” according to the AFC.
The Vietnamese midfielder has made great contributions to the national side as they made it through the third Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
A notable achievement was Hoang Duc scoring his first goal for Vietnam in a 3-0 win over Malaysia at the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF) Cup. In the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in May 2022, Viettel FC footballer was one of the team’s three over 23-year-old players who helped Vietnam defend their championship title.
Other players to make the list include Keo Sokpheng of Cambodia who will play at the AFC Cup for the first time, naturalised Indonesian player Ilija Spasojevic, Ronald Ngah of Malaysia, and Boris Kopitovic of Singapore.
Viettel FC have been placed in Group I alongside Young Elephants of Laos, Phnom Penh Crown of Cambodia, and Hougang Utd of Singapore. All Group I matches will be held at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City between June 24 and June 30.
