Nam Định FC head coach Mauro Jerónimo vowed not to allow his side’s march to the top of Group B of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ with victory over Bangkok United FC on Wednesday to detract from his game-by-game approach to the campaign.
The V.League 1 champions secured a 4-1 win over Thai League 1 outfit in Pathum Thani to leapfrog Johor Darul Ta’zim FC into pole position in the standings with a brace by Nguyễn Xuân Son helping to secure victory.
“The way I see football, and I think this is normal for most coaches, is that we have to go match by match,” said the Portuguese coach . “Our first target is to qualify for the next round. That is our focus.
“We cannot think about the next stage if we are not 100 percent there yet. We will take a break, work well during the period we have, and then prepare properly for what comes next.”
Nam Định are the only team left in the competition with a perfect record after three rounds of the group phase and their latest win came after Lucas gave his side a 44th minute lead.
Xuân Son doubled the lead four minutes after the restart while Trần Ngọc Sơn netted the third 10 minutes later. And while Wisarut Imura reduced the deficit for the hosts, Xuân Son scored his second of the game and fifth of the competition in added time.
“I think we were stable overall,” Jerónimo said of his team’s performance. “From the start, we had a clear plan because technically Bangkok United move the ball very well and are very comfortable in possession. We didn’t want to allow that.
“At certain moments, we tried to keep the ball to control the tempo and also to save energy. For us, it was a long trip. We travelled around 10 hours from our city to Bangkok.
“Because of that, I really appreciate how the players pushed themselves to perform at the highest level again today.”
The result leaves Bangkok United, who fielded a much-changed line-up as coach Totchtawan Sripan deals with his side’s heavy workload, with one point from three matches in Group B as the Thai League 1 side’s hopes of a berth in the knockout rounds begin to fizzle out.
“We have been going through a very heavy schedule, playing two games a week for some time now,” said the former Thailand midfielder. “As a coaching staff, we have been closely monitoring the players, especially in terms of workload and fatigue.
“I was pleased, especially with the first half. The team played well, and maybe even better than some people expected. We created chances and showed good organisation.
“Unfortunately, we conceded from a set piece near the end of the half. That was disappointing, especially because we actually had an advantage in terms of height in those situations.
“In the second half, we tried to come out and push for a result. With our experience, quality and physical profile, particularly our height advantage, we believed we could challenge them.”
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