In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, at Chi Lang Stadium tonight, a Nam Dinh defender launched a long ball close to the penalty area for Nguyen Xuan Son to sprint onto. Goalkeeper Phan Van Bieu misjudged the trajectory, then pushed the ball with his hand outside the box, but it still flew behind him. Xuan Son rushed in to head the ball into an open net, only for Do Phi Long to clear it off the goal line.

Once the play concluded, referee Nguyen Manh Hai issued a direct red card, dismissing the Da Nang goalkeeper. Van Bieu appeared to understand his infringement, offering no protest as teammates approached to console him.

Goalkeeper Phan Van Bieu used his hand to punch the ball outside the penalty area during Da Nang's 1-2 loss to Nam Dinh in V-League 2025-2026 round 19, at Chi Lang Stadium in Da Nang on 19/4.

Referee Nguyen Manh Hai shows a red card to Phan Van Bieu. Photo: Nam Dinh FC

Before being reduced to ten men, Da Nang played evenly with Nam Dinh but conceded first in the 21st minute. To Van Vu's corner kick from the left wing was cleared, but Nguyen Van Vi volleyed it, deflecting off an opponent and wrong-footing Van Bieu. The ball then fell perfectly for Xuan Son to head into an empty net.

The host team's best chance came in the 39th minute when Lucas Ribamar took a shot inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh made the save. Da Nang then found an unexpected equalizer in the 51st minute through an individual moment of brilliance. Outside the Nam Dinh penalty area, Joel Lopez nutmegged To Van Vu before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that nestled into the top right corner.

However, the parity lasted only 10 minutes as Nam Dinh responded with a spectacular goal of their own. From approximately 24 m, Chadrac Akolo curled a right-footed shot that struck the inside of the right post, leaving Nguyen Van Toan's full-stretch dive futile.

Nguyen Xuan Son and Chadrac Akolo (first and third from right) scored to help Nam Dinh defeat Da Nang 2-1. Photo: Nam Dinh FC

The conceded goal forced Da Nang to push forward. Coach Le Duc Tuan increased their attacking power by bringing on Nguyen Phi Hoang and Milan Makaric. They managed to get the ball into the penalty area and create opportunities but failed to finish accurately. Meanwhile, Nam Dinh had several counter-attacking chances but squandered them, enduring a nerve-wracking final few minutes.

The 2-1 victory propelled Nam Dinh past Cong an TP HCM into 6th place with 27 points. They are 10 points behind 3rd-placed Ninh Binh and 21 points adrift of league leaders Cong an Ha Noi. Da Nang, however, remains at the bottom with 12 points, one point behind PVF-CAND.

In a simultaneous match, Thanh Hoa also played with a numerical advantage against SLNA after Hoang Van Khanh received a red card in the 32nd minute. The home team then opened the scoring through Le Van Thang in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. However, Thanh Hoa lost the win when Tran Manh Quynh scored in the 70th minute.

Starting lineups:

Da Nang: Phan Van Bieu, Que Ngoc Hai, Hong Phuc, Vu Van Son, Do Phi Long, Duc Anh, Dang Anh Tuan, David Henen, Joel Lopez, Lucas Ribamar, Pham Dinh Duy

Nam Dinh: Tran Nguyen Manh, Dang Van Toi, Tran Van Kien, Giap Tuan Duong, Van Vi, Caio Cesar, Arnaud Lusamba, Tran Van Dat, To Van Vu, Xuan Son, Chadrac Akolo.

Hieu Luong