During the 6th minute of second-half injury time at Hang Day Stadium on the evening of 8/3, goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan securely caught a cross from Nguyen Dinh Bac. A few seconds later, referee Nazmi Bin Nasaruddin unexpectedly awarded CAHN a corner kick. On the sideline, coach Kewell reacted strongly, requiring captain Nguyen Van Quyet to intervene. The Australian coach subsequently received a yellow card from the Malaysian referee.

Following this, CAHN was awarded a penalty when Leo Artur was illegally fouled by Pham Xuan Manh inside the penalty area. Artur successfully converted the kick, but it could not prevent CAHN from a 1-2 defeat, marking their first loss in V-League 2025-2026.

Coach Kewell reacts to the referee during Ha Noi FC's 2-1 victory over Cong an Ha Noi in the 15th round of V-League 2025-2026, at Hang Day Stadium in Ha Noi on 8/3/2026. Photo: VPF

"I have never seen this before. When the goalkeeper put the ball down, the referee started counting from 5 to 1, then the opponent was awarded a corner kick," coach Kewell said after the match. "I spoke to the referee about this situation. If every referee did this, there would be no problem, but not everyone in this league does."

The V-League regulations stipulate that referees will apply rules according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB). Referee Nasaruddin's decision was based on a rule passed by IFAB on 1/3/2025. Accordingly, from the 2025-2026 season, goalkeepers are allowed to hold the ball for 8 seconds, after which referees will count down manually during the final 5 seconds. If the goalkeeper violates this rule, the opponent may be awarded a throw-in or a corner kick.

Malaysian referee Nazmi Bin Nasaruddin (yellow shirt) reminds Ha Noi FC goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan. Photo: VPF

The 8-second rule is an upgrade of the previous 6-second rule, both designed to prevent goalkeepers from holding the ball for too long. However, the 6-second rule was rarely applied. Firstly, it sometimes forced goalkeepers to release the ball even when surrounded by opponents. Secondly, the penalty for holding the ball for more than 6 seconds—an indirect free kick inside the penalty area for the opponent—was considered too severe.

Aside from this particular incident, coach Kewell assessed that the referee made some inaccurate calls, but these were evenly distributed between both sides in the capital derby during the 15th round of the V-League. Nevertheless, the Australian coach still considered it a perfect match. "The V-League should have more matches like this. The two teams have different playing styles, but what I liked was the competitiveness and fighting spirit of each player. That is football," Kewell stated.

Before the match, CAHN was rated higher, having been undefeated in 17 consecutive V-League matches and having beaten Ha Noi FC 4-2 in the first leg. However, coach Kewell affirmed his confidence in his strategies, even though the opponent was having a perfect season with a clear playing style. CAHN controlled the ball well, preferred passing, and attacked behind the opponent's defense, while Ha Noi built up play from the back to create opportunities.

"They could not do anything different from our prepared plan," Kewell stated. "We controlled the game and performed well in second-ball situations. I just did not understand the final play of the match."

Ha Noi FC had less ball possession but capitalized on their opponent's mistakes. In the 26th minute, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh lost the ball on the left flank, allowing Tadeu Adriel to quickly pass it near the penalty area for Do Hoang Hen to score. In the 71st minute, David Fisher was fouled by Nguyen Filip inside the box, exploiting CAHN's defensive miscommunication, before Hen completed his brace.

Ha Noi FC's victory prevented CAHN from pulling further ahead of their rivals in the V-League 2025-2026 championship race. After 15 rounds, CAHN leads the table with 35 points and has played one less match than its opponents. The four teams trailing are The Cong (31 points), Ninh Binh (28), Ha Noi FC (24), and Cong an TP HCM (23).

Hieu Luong