A knee ligament injury sidelined Bui Tien Dung for nearly one year. He returned to play on 20/9 in the National Cup 2026-2027 qualifier, helping Da Nang draw Hanoi FC 1-1. He then shone by making two penalty saves, leading his team to a 4-3 shootout victory and advancing to the next round.

This dream return secured Bui Tien Dung's spot as the starting goalkeeper in V-League rounds three and four, following a break for the national team. However, against evenly matched opponents, Da Nang suffered consecutive losses: 0-3 to HAGL and most recently 1-5 to Hai Phong.

Da Nang goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung during the 1-1 draw with Hanoi FC, followed by a 4-3 penalty shootout win, in the National Cup 2026-2027 qualifier at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi on 20/9/2026. Photo: Hoang Huynh

The 0-3 loss to HAGL left Da Nang dissatisfied. The club argued there were two ambiguous situations. First, Que Ngoc Hai's handball in the penalty area led to a penalty, resulting in the first conceded goal. Subsequently, the ball appeared to have gone out of bounds before HAGL scored their second goal. The River Han club then submitted a petition to the tournament organizers, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) and Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), requesting clarification on these two incidents.

Putting aside the controversies and frustrations, Da Nang returned to their Hoa Xuan home stadium to host Hai Phong, who had just lost 1-2 to Thanh Hoa in round three. The home side had a dream start, opening the scoring in the 18th minute after a counter-attack. Ivan Saponjic threaded a pass to overseas Vietnamese Bryan Ly, who sprinted into the penalty area and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan.

Overseas Vietnamese Bryan Ly of Da Nang scores in the 18th minute during the 1-5 loss to Hai Phong in V-League 2026-2027 round four at Hoa Xuan Stadium, Da Nang on 17/10/2026. Photo: Da Nang FC

However, a catastrophic defensive performance led to Da Nang's heavy defeat. In the 24th minute, Joel Tagueu headed in an equalizer from inside the box. The Cameroonian striker then scored two more goals in the 30th and 41st minutes, with a touch of luck as both shots deflected off Da Nang defenders, completing his hat-trick. The rapidly changing game left coach Le Duc Tuan stunned in the technical area, contrasting sharply with the delight of the visiting team's members.

Before halftime, captain Que Ngoc Hai nearly reignited hope, but his free-kick struck the post. In the second half, the team tried to increase pressure, but their attack lacked ideas. Ultimately, former player Milan Makaric punished Da Nang's careless defense, beating the offside trap twice to score past Bui Tien Dung in the 78th minute and in the third minute of added time.

After four rounds, Da Nang has conceded the most goals in the V-League with 11 goals against. Following them are Hai Phong (8), Thanh Hoa, HAGL, and Hanoi FC (7). The only team yet to concede a goal is Cong an Ha Noi.

Da Nang currently sits 13th with three points and a goal difference of -5. Dong Nai is at the bottom, without any points and a goal difference of -6. Coach Nguyen Viet Thang's squad will escape the bottom position if they win by two or more goals against Bac Ninh tomorrow, 18/10.

Meanwhile, Hai Phong has climbed to 6th place with six points. The port city club is the first team to score five goals in a single V-League match this season. Previously, Ninh Binh defeated Hai Phong 4-1, Nam Dinh beat HAGL 4-0 (round one), and SLNA won against Hanoi FC 4-1 (round two).

In a concurrent match, SLNA led 2-0 but was held to a 2-2 draw by Ha Tinh. SLNA has caused a surprise by remaining undefeated since the start of the season with two wins and two draws, temporarily placing them second in the V-League. Ha Tinh is 5th with seven points.

Starting lineups:

Da Nang: Bui Tien Dung, Que Ngoc Hai, Matias Fracchia, Yvo Rebori, Vo Huu Viet Hoang, Bryan Ly, Vu Van Son, Mai Sy Hoang, Kalvin Luong, Phan Van Long, Ivan Saponjic.

Hai Phong: Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Le Manh Dung, Vu Quoc Anh, Esteban Orozco, Ho Minh Di, Nguyen Vu Tin, Nguyen Huu Son, Joseph Mpande, Milan Makaric, Joel Tagueu.

Trung Thu