Key defender to miss AFC Cup semis, Thailand clash

By Hoang Nguyen, Nam AnhAugust 19, 2019 | 04:45 pm PT
Key defender to miss AFC Cup semis, Thailand clash
Doan Van Hau in the V. League game between Hanoi FC and SHB Da Nang on August 16, 2019. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Football Club.
Left-back Doan Van Hau will sit out five weeks with a knee injury and miss important games, as hectic workload on the country's footballers is taking its toll.

Hau has played the full 90 minutes in all the games of Hanoi FC at AFC Cup, the V. League and National Cup. Players like him get little time to rest and regain their stamina between the matches.

It was not a big surprise for fans that Hau sustained a bad injury on his right knee in the V. League game against SHB Da Nang last Friday.

According to the medical team, Hau will need five weeks to recover and return to training.

The official Facebook account of Hanoi FC also confirmed the information.

It said: "Hau’s situation is pretty serious after he damaged his right knee badly. He will have to take four to five weeks to recover. With the AFC Cup interzone semifinals with Turkmenistan side Altyn Asyr FC approaching, Hau’s absence is a huge loss for Hanoi FC."

The first leg of the semifinals will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and the second leg a week later.

Hau will also miss the national team’s World Cup qualification clash against Thailand on September 5.

Vietnam also can lose right-back Nguyen Trong Hoang, who left the field injured in a V. League game between his club Viettel FC and Saigon FC on Saturday.

Vietnam’s defense had already taken a blow with key centre back Tran Dinh Trong tearing a ligament in his left knee and having to sit out for the rest of the year.

Besides missing World Cup qualification games, Trong won’t be able to take part in the SEA Games 30 with the U22 team in November. Striker Phan Van Duc has suffered the same injury as Trong.

19 year-old Hau is one of the key players in Vietnam’s four-man defense. He has played for Vietnam in all major tournaments the past two years, including the Asian Games 2018, AFF Cup 2018 and Asian Cup 2019.

 
 
go to top