Two Vietnamese footballers hit, kicked by Malaysian club players during match

The drama unfolded in the 72nd minute of the Thursday match when Nguyen Dinh Bac was fouled by Kuala Lumpur’s Kamal Azizi. While lying on the field, Azizi lost his composure and kicked the CAHN striker in the groin. Referee Kim Dae-yong initially issued a yellow card but upgraded it to a direct red card after consulting VAR. Adding to the tension, defender Adrijan Rudovic was shown a yellow card for obstructing the referee as he went to review the situation.

In the 87th minute, another disadvantage frowned upon Kuala Lumpur. Striker Paulo Josue, closely marked by Tran Dinh Trong, turned and struck the CAHN defender in the face with his left hand. Referee Kim, who was standing nearby, immediately issued a red card. Josue left the field visibly upset, pouring water over his head to cool down before heading to the locker room.

Despite Kuala Lumpur’s physical and aggressive play, statistics highlighted CAHN’s dominance. The Vietnamese side had 76% possession and completed 471 passes with 85% accuracy, compared to the home team’s 97 passes and 59% accuracy.

CAHN opened the scoring early in the 10th minute, with Nguyen Quang Hai receiving a precise long pass from Leonardo Artur. Hai’s skillful first touch in the penalty area allowed him to slot the ball into the bottom left corner, beating goalkeeper Haifizul Hakim.

However, Kuala Lumpur quickly responded. In the 23rd minute, Josue’s well-delivered corner found Rudovic, who headed the ball in to level the score 1-1 as defender Bui Hoang Viet Anh failed to mark him.

Shortly after, a mistake by Jason Quang Vinh Pendant allowed Zhafri Yahya to intercept a pass, leading to a cross from Jovan Motika that Josue converted with an accurate header past goalkeeper Filip Nguyen, giving the home side a 2-1 lead.

CAHN struggled to break through Kuala Lumpur’s disciplined defense until the 67th minute. From a corner taken by Hai, Viet Anh equalized with a powerful header, redeeming his earlier defensive error.

With two red cards reducing the home team to nine players, CAHN capitalized on their advantage. In the 90th minute, Artur delivered a pass into the penalty area, leading to multiple scoring attempts. Dinh Bac’s initial shot was blocked by Hakim, as was Le Van Do’s rebound, but another finish in a sitting position by the CAHN striker found the net, securing the win.

Coach Alexandre Polking celebrated passionately, punching the air for the decisive goal.

With the fourth win in the tournament, CAHN are guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals as group B leaders with 12 points, holding a five-point lead over second-placed Buriram United of Thailand with one match remaining.