Đà Nẵng midfielder Dominik Schmidt will miss at least two weeks of V.League 1 duty due to injury.

Midfielder Quế Ngọc Hải’s (right) crunching tackle on Đà Nẵng’s Dominik Schmidt. The challenge broke Schmidt’s rib and earned Hải a yellow card. — Photo zing.vn

The 31-year-old German footballer suffered a broken rib in a clash with Viettel midfielder Quế Ngọc Hải in the league’s opening round over the weekend. Hải collided with Schmidt near Viettel’s penalty area. After some time on the ground, Schmidt insisted on continuing and provided the assist on Đỗ Merlo’s goal in Đà Nẵng’s 3-1 victory.

Đà Nẵng will take on Bình Dương and Quảng Nam in the next two rounds.

Hải was shown a yellow card for the harsh tackle and was sent off following a second yellow later in the match for a handball in the penalty area. He will be suspended for Viettel’s next match against Thanh Hóa.

Hải, who was captain of the Vietnamese national team in the 2018 AFF Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup, played out his contract with former champions Sông Lam Nghệ An last season before joining Viettel as a free agent. He is expected to help Viettel shine in the top division, but he did not enjoy a good start. — VNS