SHB Da Nang 3-1 Maziya

Merlo struck twice in the first half before Adhuham Hassan halved Da Nang’s lead just before the interval, only for the home side’s forward to restore his club’s two-goal cushion midway through the second period.
Da Nang needed just a draw to join Malaysia’s Kelantan in the Round of 16 from Group G and the win moved them on to 12 points from their six matches, five clear of Maziya.
“I am happy with the victory,” said Da Nang head coach Le Huynh Duc. “My team played well, especially the defenders and midfielders, but the attacking players not so well, except Merlo who scored a hat-trick in this game.
“Other people missed so many chances. We have now achieved our first target and we are waiting for the last 16 round and I am sure that we will continue to try our best to advance to the next stage.”
After dominating the opening exchanges, it was no surprise that Da Nang took the lead in the 14th minute as Merlo headed home Doan Hung Son’s right wing cross.
And 20 minutes later, Da Nang doubled their lead when Merlo found the back of the net with another header, this time meeting Huynh Quoc Anh’s cross from the left as Da Nang’s potency down both flanks caused havoc for the Maziya defence.
A mistake at the back deprived Da Nang of their two-goal advantage in the final minute of the first half as Hassan netted to ensure his side’s hopes of securing the victory they needed to progress to the knockout phase remained intact.
Those chances, though, diminished by the 67th minute as Da Nang made their dominance pay when Hung Son’s pass into the penalty area allowed Merlo to claim his third of the evening and all but seal Da Nang’s passage to the next phase.
“We knew that this would be a tough game and we had only one choice: to try for a victory,” said Maziya coach Ismail Mahfooz.
“But Da Nang is a strong team and they proved that in this game. We tried so hard, but our opponent was better. They deserved to win.”

Photo: WSG