Striker Cong Phuong played 67 minutes and received 1 yellow card in the match between Yokohama FC and Okayama in round 2 of J.League Cup 2024.
Striker Cong Phuong in the Yokohama FC shirt. Photo: Yokohama FC
Today (April 24), Yokohama FC has an away trip to Okayama’s stadium in round 2 of J.League Cup 2024. In this match, striker Nguyen Cong Phuong was assigned by coach Shuhei Yomoda to play on the right in the 3- 4-2-1 of Yokohama FC.
This is the first time the Vietnamese striker has been given the opportunity to play as a starter since joining the Japanese team in early 2023.
Present on the field, the Nghe An striker played aggressively and often took on the responsibility of taking free kicks for the away team. However, Cong Phuong and his teammates had to concede an early goal. In the 15th minute, taking advantage of Yokohama FC’s defense’s lack of concentration, Yudai Tanaka escaped easily to cushion the ball to open the score for Okayama.
Conceding an early goal, the away team’s players tried to attack high in search of an equalizer. However, it was not an easy task because the home team played closely.
At minute 20, Cong Phuong handled the ball slowly and let the opponent steal the ball. He was forced to commit a foul to prevent the counterattack. The referee immediately issued a yellow card to the striker born in 1995.
During the end of the first half, the former striker of Hoang Anh Gia Lai was given quite a few balls in the opponent’s half. However, Cong Phuong’s handling still does not have the necessary precision.
All the efforts of the away team’s players also paid off in the 42nd minute. Hinata Ogura fired a beautiful long-range shot, leaving Okayama’s goalkeeper with no chance to block. The score was equalized 1-1 for Yokohama FC.
Entering the second half, Cong Phuong was still the leader of the away team’s corner kicks. By the 56th minute, the away team took a 2-1 lead thanks to Solomon’s skillful and accurate handling in the penalty area.
However, Yokohama FC’s advantage did not last long when just 5 minutes later, Okayama equalized the score 2-2 after Takaya Kimura’s solo dribble and shot.
At minute 67, Cong Phuong was withdrawn by coach Shuhei Yomoda.
In the last minutes, both teams tried to score more goals but were unsuccessful. Yokohama and Okayama had to enter extra time and the draw continued to remain the same when Yokohama FC and Okayama both scored 1 more goal.
The match went to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. On the 11m mark, Yokohama FC was the team that played more bravely, successfully taking all 5 shots, thereby winning 5-3 against Okayama.
