After controversy, Vietnamese centre-back scores best goal at AFC Cup

By Hoang Nguyen   March 5, 2019 | 11:04 pm PT
Correcting an error, Vietnamese centre-back Do Duy Manh’s goal has been adjudged best in AFC Cup first round.

The public vote for goal of the week in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Cup first round closed on March 3.

AFC stirred controversy by announcing the wrong winner following the vote. The results showed that Hanoi FC’s Do Duy Manh’s goal had won 44,508 votes, but AFC announced PSM Makassar’s Eero Markkanen (21,845 votes) as the winner on its official website.

Once the Vietnamese football community expressed its dissatisfaction, AFC realized its mistake and announced Do Duy Manh as the true winner for goal of the week.

The vote result for goal of the week. Photo by AFC.

The vote results for goal of the week. Photo courtesy of AFC

In a thrashing 10-0 win by Hanoi FC against Cambodian club Nagaworld on February 26, Do Duy Manh opened the score with a superb strike from 35 meters out. Hanoi FC also broke the record for the biggest winning margin in AFC Cup’s history.

The goal went viral on Instagram with over 1.2 million views and 222,000 likes. One of the likes came from Paris Saint Germain’s midfielder Angel Di Maria.

Manh is one of Vietnam’s key defenders, having played for both the junior and senior teams. He was a regular starter at U23 AFC Championship, Asian Games and AFF Cup in 2018. In 2019, he continued to be an important part of the national line up as Vietnam made it to the quarterfinals of Asian Cup.

 
 
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