Nigerian striker Abdulrazak Ekpoki scored the only goal of the match between Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the National Football Cup final on Saturday.
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| Champs: Song Lam Nghe An players celebrate after their 1-0 win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the National Cup final in HCM City on Saturday. |
The Nigerian scored from a corner kick by Nghe An teammate Quang Tinh in the 25th minute.
It\'s the third time the central team have lifted the cup. They also won the title in 2002.
The victory goes some way towards lifting Nghe An\'s spirits after a poor V-League season that saw them finish in disappointing ninth out of 14.
In the line-up for Nghe An at HCM City\'s Thong Nhat Stadium were 2003 Golden Ball winner Pham Van Quyen and national defender Nguyen Huy Hoang.
National U-23 team member Nguyen Trong Hoang was also a force to be reckoned with on the day, constantly harassing Gia Lai\'s keeper Cong Vuong, and nearly scoring in the 23rd minute.
One minute later, Vuong managed to keep out Pham Van Quyen\'s 30m curving shot.
The weather dampened what was an eagerly anticipated encounter, raining hard from the 25th minute.
In response to the sodden conditions, Gia Lai played a long-ball game in the second half in the hope Brazilian strikers Evaldo Goncalves and Tiago De Paula would find the back of the net. However, a solid defensive performance by Bosnian Goran Brasnic thwarted the strikers\' efforts.
That said, Ekpoki almost scored in the last minute, but his lob was wide over the crossbar.
The loss concluded a disappointed year for Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamueng and Gia Lai, who haven\'t won a title since lifting the V-League cup in 2003 and 2004.
Nghe An, who walked away with VND350 million (US$18,000) in prize money, will play in the Asian Football Confederation Cup next year.
