Ninh Binh Club's painful stoppage-time loss: What did Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem say?

On the evening of October 25, at home, Ninh Binh Club suffered a 0-1 defeat to Cong An TP.HCM in Round 5 of the LPBank V-League 2026-2027. The only goal of the match came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, following a lightning counterattack by the visitors. Speaking after the match, Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem said his side deserved a point: "We created a clear situation right before conceding, but the final pass was not good. We lost the ball in the opponent's half and were punished. You could say we were not lucky." The coach born in 2026 also praised the opposition: "Cong An TP.HCM are a tight side that may not need to attack in waves, but their state transitions are excellent and they are strong in set pieces. Scoring against them is very difficult." This was Ninh Binh's first defeat after a four-match unbeaten run. The team from the former capital missed the chance to return to the top group and even dropped to fifth place in the standings. In Round 6, Ninh Binh will host Hanoi FC - fresh from a derby win over Cong An Hanoi - a markedly tougher test. On the other side, Coach Diles of Cong An TP.HCM stressed that his team did not need to attack in waves: "We knew what we needed in this match and we waited patiently for our moment." Analysts noted that the goal conceded in the 90+5th minute reflected a weakness in rest-defence when the team pushed forward, rather than mere luck. Ninh Binh's inability to break down a low block for 90 minutes also pointed to limited creativity in the final third. Set pieces are likely to be a vulnerability that Hanoi FC will target in the next round.