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Despite having 62 percent of possession, the Hanoi club couldn't get significant chances and play the way they wanted, while Pathum played counter-attacking football and succeeded with two goals.
Viettel and Pathum both had 12 shots in the game, but the Thai club proved to be more effective.
Playing on home ground, Pathum opened the score sheet in the 13th minute with a little help of luck. In a clearance attempt, defender Bui Duy Thuong accidentally created a chance for Thitiphan Puangchan to get a tap-in and score easily.
The significant chances that Viettel created were less than the fouls they committed. Defender Que Ngoc Hai made many fouls in the game and he was lucky not to get a red card.
Most of Viettel’s attacks had the contribution from key midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc, but he couldn’t make a difference when he was tightly marked.
If Pathum were more careful with their chances, they could have had a bigger win. The Thai club scored the second goal in the 84th minute, from a long-range shot of midfielder Chaowat Veerachat. He aimed for the far corner, out of keeper Tran Nguyen Manh’s reach.
With this loss, Viettel dropped to third of group F and their chance of advancing is slimmer. They need to put more effort in the next game on July 5, also against Pathum.
The group stage of ACL in the East Zone will only take five table leaders and three best second-placed teams into the next round.
