According to midfielder Takuya Wada, teammate Nguyen Cong Phuong moved well in Yokohama FC’s penalty shootout win over Fagiano Okayama in the second round of J-League Levain Cup 2024.
Yesterday Yokohama FC entered the match with a 3-4-3 formation, in which Cong Phuong played in defense with Mizuki Arai and striker Solomon Sakuragawa. Meanwhile, 34-year-old veteran Takuya Wada plays central midfielder with Hinata Ogura.
Wada said he realized that the opponent’s defense was not good, so he tried to pass behind the opponent’s defense right from his home field. “Arai and Cong Phuong moved to receive the ball in a favorable position so it was easy to play,” Wada told the site Tagrma. “I think their presence makes it easier for me to play as a defensive midfielder.”
Cong Phuong warms up before Yokohama FC’s match against Fagiano Okayama, in the second round of J-League Levain Cup 2024. Photo: Yokohama FC.
In response to his seniors’ praise, Cong Phuong said he consciously moved closer to the midfield to receive the ball and create space. “Moving back helps stretch and break the opponent’s defense is very important and I want to maintain that in the future,” Cong Phuong shared with Tagrma.
The match against Fagiano Okayama last night on April 24 was the first time Cong Phuong started for Yokohama FC. He played 68 minutes before leaving the field to make way for Caprini. This is also the second time he has played on the field, after 386 days, since the 2-3 loss to Nagoya Grampus on April 5, 2023, also in the J-League Levain Cup. In that match, Cong Phuong could only come on as a substitute in the second half.
The 29-year-old striker affirmed that he tried his best, always made the most of the opportunities given to him and wanted to continue playing in the next matches. Cong Phuong said: “The point I need to fix is losing the ball. The good thing is that I have a chance to finish thanks to Murata Toma’s pass behind the defense. I think it’s good because it creates more connection with my teammates.” team through competition”.
The situation Cong Phuong mentioned took place in the 5th minute on the left wing. He had an angled shot in the penalty area but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Coach Shuhei Yomoda also assigned Cong Phuong to take corner kicks while on the field, in five situations.
“I also want to create from fixed situations,” Cong Phuong said. “But I haven’t succeeded so I’m a little disappointed.”
Cong Phuong’s performance against Fagiano Okayama
Cong Phuong’s plays in Yokohama FC’s win over Fagiano Okayama. Source: Facebook/J.League
Yokohama FC drew 3-3 with Okayama in 120 minutes, then won 5-3 in the penalty shootout. In the third round, the team will face Nagoya Grampus on May 9. The Yokohama FC coaching staff considers the J-League Cup a tournament to give opportunities to young players and reserve players who rarely play like Cong Phuong.
Yokohama’s main goal is still to play well in J-League 2 to return to J-League 1 next year. After 11 rounds, Yokohama is ranked fourth with 18 points, six points behind second team V-Varen Nagasaki. According to the rules, the champion and runner-up team of J-League 2 will win official promotion tickets. The teams ranked third to sixth will be divided into play-off pairs to compete for the remaining ticket.
Cong Phuong joined Yokohama at the beginning of the 2023 season, but has only played two official matches so far. His contract with the club lasts until the end of the 2025 season.
Yokohama is the fourth foreign club in Cong Phuong’s career. Previously, he played for Mito Hollyhock (Japan) in 2016, Incheon United (Korea) in 2019 and Saint Truiden (Belgium) in the 2019-2020 season. But all of them left no mark.
Hieu Luong
