Nam Định FC coach Mauro Jerónimo warned his side’s ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ competitors that striker Nguyễn Xuân Sơn is yet to hit top form despite scoring his seventh goal in three matches in a 3-0 win over Lion City Sailors FC on Thursday.
The Brazil-born Vietnam international netted twice after Cesar Caio had given the home side the lead against the Singapore Premier League champions to notch up a fourth win in Group B and secure a place in the regional championship’s knockout rounds.
“No, he is still not in perfect condition,” said Jerónimo when asked about the performance of the 28-year-old centre forward. “You can imagine what he will be capable of when he reaches that level.”
Shopee Star of the Match Xuân Sơn missed the opening round of Shopee Cup™ group matches due to his ongoing recovery from a broken leg sustained in the final of the ASEAN Championship in January last year but, in the three matches since, he has gorged on goals.
He hit a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Shan United FC and scored a brace in a 4-1 victory over Bangkok United FC before claiming another pair against Lion City Sailors.
As a result, Xuân Sơn, who picked up a third Shopee Star of the Match award for his performance on Thursday, leads the scoring charts by two goals from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC’s Bérgson da Silva and Tampines Rovers FC’s Hide Higashikawa.
“I am very proud of him, and of the entire team,” Jerónimo said of his striker. “People focus on the goals, but you also need to look at his defensive work.
“One of the goals came from a pressing situation. His work rate, humility and willingness to work for the team without the ball are just as important as his scoring ability.”
Jerónimo felt the win, which maintained Nam Định’s perfect record in the competition so far, was well earned after his side’s “complete” performance.
“Defensively, we were extremely disciplined, and the players followed our tactical plan perfectly — even beyond my expectations,” he said.
“We knew we were facing a very strong team. Of course we wanted to win, but it was also very important not to concede. Besides our quality with the ball, we were excellent when we did not have possession.
“A strong team must know how to attack and how to defend, and tonight we did well in both aspects.”
Lion City Sailors coach Aleksandar Ranković conceded his team had been second best throughout the 90 minutes, even if he felt the margin of victory flattered the hosts.
“It was obviously a very disappointing match for us,” he said. “I think in the first half we were a bit slow on the ball, and that was probably our biggest problem today.
“Against a very aggressive Nam Định side, I think they deserved the win. Maybe a 3–0 scoreline is slightly harsh and does not fully reflect the balance of the game, but some of the goals we conceded were situations that we simply gave away.”
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