Vietnam lose second key player for World Cup 2022 qualifiers

The injury was sustained during training for round 14 of V. League 1 2019 last weekend.

Doctors have said that Duc’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is torn and he needs to undergo corrective surgery as soon as possible.

This means Duc will not be able to play for his club Song Lam Nghe An FC for the rest of V. League 1 2019 season.

This is the second injury that Duc faced this year. Since the start of 2019, he has only played one game for Song Lam Nghe An. In March, he damaged his ACL while training for round two of V. League 1 and has had to sit out since then.

Because of the injury, he also missed King’s Cup 2019, where the national team beat regional powerhouse and host Thailand and finished runners-up.

Duc’s absence is a big blow to the Vietnam national team as it prepares to compete in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that will kick off soon this year.

Under Park Hang-seo’s lead, Duc became an important factor in the national team’s offense. Observers have praised his simple but smart and effective style of play.

Earlier, defender Tran Dinh Trong also had to quit all the tournaments in 2019, including SEA Games 30 and World Cup 2022 qualifiers due to an ACL injury. It will take Trong six to eight months to recover after surgery, doctors have said.