Hong Kong's Eastern suffered a 1-0 defeat against Vietnamese champions Nam Dinh in their AFC Champions League 2 group stage match on Thursday. A costly error proved to be the deciding factor in the match, leaving the home side still searching for their first points in the competition.

Kristoffer Hansen's 54th-minute strike sealed the victory for Nam Dinh, capitalizing on a mistake from Eastern midfielder Leung Kwun-chung. Despite the loss, Eastern's head coach Roberto Losada praised his team's performance, highlighting their bravery and hard work. He also defended Leung Kwun-chung, whose lapse in possession led to the decisive goal.

Eastern, the Hong Kong FA Cup holders, have now lost their opening two matches in the AFC Champions League 2. In their first match, they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Gamba Osaka.

Losada had earlier issued a stark appraisal of his club’s current predicament, acknowledging that the club is in a "survival moment". Eastern lost several key players over the summer, and the majority of their new recruits arrived late in the pre-season. This has resulted in a disjointed start to the season, with only two wins in six matches across all competitions.

Nam Dinh's coach, Vu Hong Viet, whose team beat Lee Man at Mong Kok Stadium last year, had noted that the pitch was "not exactly the best surface".

Despite the challenges, Losada emphasized the importance of the AFC Champions League 2, stating that many Asian clubs are buying players from Europe, making it a high-level competition where teams must impose their personality and style of play.

Nam Dinh now have a perfect start to their Group F campaign in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26, with two wins from two matches.