Vietnamese overseas Khoa Ngô shines, CA TP.HCM advances straight to the semifinals

(Football result) - CA TP.HCM defeats Đồng Nai 1-0 thanks to a penalty goal by Khoa Ngô, in a match where VAR and a red card for Tấn Sinh were pivotal.

CA TP.HCM secures a minimal 1-0 victory over Đồng Nai in the quarterfinals of the National Cup 2025/26 at Thống Nhất Stadium, with a turning point arising from a penalty situation and a red card in the second half.

Immediately after the kickoff whistle, the home team quickly pushed up their formation and maintained continuous pressure. Tiến Linh was a standout in the attack with energetic play, but the most significant opportunity in the first half belonged to Đinh Thanh Bình, whose narrow-angle shot was saved by goalkeeper Tấn Trường. On the other side, Đồng Nai also had notable counterattacks, but lacked sharpness to create a difference. The first half ended without any goals scored.

Moving into the second half, the match became more tense as both teams increased their pace. CA TP.HCM had a clear opportunity at minute 59 when Khoa Ngô faced the goalkeeper, but his shot unfortunately missed the post. However, just over 10 minutes later, this forward corrected his mistake.

At minute 70, Khoa Ngô sprinted forward, forcing defender Tấn Sinh to commit a foul inside the penalty area. After consulting VAR at minute 73, referee Trần Ngọc Nhớ upheld the penalty decision and also issued a direct red card to Tấn Sinh. On the penalty spot at minute 75, Khoa Ngô calmly beat Tấn Trường, opening the score for the match.

During the remaining time, Đồng Nai, despite being short-handed, still pushed forward seeking an equalizer. At minute 82, Thanh Minh combined with Alex Sandro in a dangerous counterattack, but the decisive pass was too strong, causing the opportunity to be missed.

Ultimately, CA TP.HCM secured a 1-0 victory, thereby earning a spot in the semifinals of the National Cup, while Đồng Nai had to stop with regret.

End of match: CA TP HCM 1-0 Đồng Nai

82' Đồng Nai effort

Đồng Nai strives to organize a counterattack, Thanh Minh combines effectively with Alex Sandro before breaking into the penalty area awaiting a shooting chance. However, the pass from the Brazilian foreign player was too strong, allowing the home team's defender to intervene timely.

75' GOOOOOOOOOAL

On the penalty spot, Khoa Ngô successfully beat goalkeeper Tấn Trường to open the match score.

73' Referee checks VAR

After directly reviewing the VAR screen, referee Trần Ngọc Nhớ maintained his decision: awarding a penalty to CA TP.HCM and issuing a direct red card to defender Tấn Sinh.

70' Penalty for the home team

Khoa Ngô makes a rapid dash forcing Tấn Sinh to foul, and the referee points to the penalty spot.

59' Missed

Khoa Ngô misses a chance when facing goalkeeper Tấn Trường, but his shot narrowly misses the post.

51' Dangerous

Đồng Nai's defense makes a risky back pass, creating an opportunity for Khoa Ngô to sprint and shoot, but defender Tấn Sinh timely intervenes, neutralizing the danger.

46' Second half begins

End of first half: CA TP HCM 0-0 Đồng Nai

42' Not successful

Tiến Linh creates a favorable setup for Đinh Thanh Bình to shoot from a narrow angle, but the shot goes directly to goalkeeper Tấn Trường of Đồng Nai.

30' Counterattack by the visiting team

Đồng Nai executes a quick counterattack with a long ball to Alex Sandro, but defender Quang Hùng of CA TP.HCM timely prevents it.

22' Dangerous shot

From a quick counterattack on the right flank, Quang Hùng delivers a cross, the ball finds Võ Huy Toàn, this midfielder makes a dangerous shot but cannot overcome Huỳnh Tấn Sinh.

17' Increasing pressure

The home team CA TP.HCM continuously creates pressure towards the visiting team Đồng Nai's side, but the score remains unopened.

7' Missed opportunity

Tiến Linh appears in Đồng Nai's penalty area to receive a cross from the right flank, but Tấn Sinh marks closely, causing Tiến Linh's header to be inaccurate.

3' Dangerous foul

Dương Văn Khoa of Đồng Nai commits a dangerous foul on Le Quang Hùng, but after the referee checks VAR, no red card is given to the visiting team.

1' Match begins

Starting lineup of the two teams

What time is the CA TP HCM vs Đồng Nai match, and where can it be watched live?

• Time: 19:15 today, March 20
• Location: Thống Nhất Stadium
• Competition: Quarterfinals of the National Cup 2025/26
• Live broadcast on: F PT Play

Expected lineup for CA TPHCM vs Đồng Nai

• CA TPHCM:Lê Giang, Huy Toàn, Khoa Ngô, Gia Bảo, Minh Trọng, Quang Hùng, Hoàng Phúc, Ngọc Hà, Tiến Linh, Thanh Bình, Makrillos.
• Đồng Nai:Tấn Trường, Văn Khoa, Tấn Sinh, Hữu Tuấn, Văn Sơn, Thành Lộc, Tự Nhân, Xuân Trường, Minh Vương, Thanh Bình, Sandro.

Analysis of CA TP HCM vs Đồng Nai

Form of CA TP.HCM is showing signs of improvement as they recently secured an important victory over PVF-CAND at Thống Nhất Stadium. This result helps coach Lê Huỳnh Đức's team climb to 5th place in the V.League standings with 26 points, thereby providing a significant morale boost ahead of the quarterfinal match of the National Cup 2025/26 against Đồng Nai. Playing at home, CA TP.HCM certainly aims to secure a spot in the semifinals, even targeting the final as they are only two matches away from that goal.

However, Đồng Nai is not an opponent easily subdued. The First Division representative is displaying impressive form and harbors ambitions to create a surprise, as it has been a long time since any First Division team advanced deep in the National Cup. The visiting team has certain confidence from frequent encounters with CA TP.HCM in previous friendly matches, thus understanding the opponent's playing style.

A notable factor is that CA TP.HCM only uses one foreign player, which could affect their attacking strength. In reality, the finishing ability of the home team recently has been a major issue as they continuously miss clear opportunities. If they do not improve scoring efficiency, CA TP.HCM could fully pay the price against a Đồng Nai team that is in good form and high determination.

Regarding squad strength, CA TP.HCM has their strongest lineup, while Đồng Nai suffers a loss as coach Nguyễn Việt Thắng cannot directly lead due to suspension. Nevertheless, based on their performances, the match promises to be very balanced and unpredictable.