Hanoi and Danang played out a 1-1 draw in the Cup Round of 32 on 20 September 2026 before the visitors advanced on penalties. K. Luong gave the hosts the lead in the nineteenth minute, and A. Jung levelled for Danang just after the half-hour mark. The match dragged into extra time and then to the spot-kick stage, where Danang held their nerve.
By then the game had become a battle of wills rather than football. Hanoi dominated possession at 61 per cent and racked up 77 attacks to 57, yet they couldn't find a second goal. To be fair, the away side made more of what they had — seven shots on target against four, despite having less territory.
The penalty shootout told the story. Hanoi missed at the first attempt and again at the fifth, while Danang scored every time they stepped up. Three penalties for Hanoi, four for Danang — and there you have it. The away end never stopped once the first miss landed.
What struck me watching was how tactics can shift overnight. Hanoi had lost four of their last five matches, including a 1-4 hammering at Song Lam Nghe An. Danang, meanwhile, came into this on the back of a 3-0 victory over Nam Dinh. The form lines matter more than the table position, and here the visitors carried their confidence into the shootout.
Yellow cards told another tale — Hanoi showed two, Danang four. The away side's discipline frayed as the game stretched, but they still managed to keep their composure when it counted. Hanoi's two offsides in total suggested they weren't playing with any real penetration either.
