Chasing the game, Nam Dinh let Sanfrecce off the hook in the fourth minute after China cut through the defence, weaved his way into the box before pulling his effort just wide of the right post.

Nam Dinh, however, found themselves trailing in the 10th minute after Sanfrecce’s Naoto Arai floated his corner into the box to find an unmarked Sho Sasaki who volleyed home from close range.

Sanfrecce should have doubled their advantage in the 14th minute following an attacking sequence which saw Mutsuki Kato sending a well-timed cross to Sota Nakamura, who dragged his effort just wide of the left post.

Nam Dinh dropped deeper into their own half as they kept out efforts from Ryo Germain, Hayao Kawabe and Arai in the 31st minute, while China’s charge into the box eight minutes later was cut short by an imposing Sanfrecce defence.

The Vietnamese side had to  sustain further pressure after the restart with Sanfrecce extending their lead in the 54th minute with Hayao Kawabe playing the ball for Nakamura, who drilled his shot past Nam Dinh keeper Tran Liem Dieu.

Shuto Nakano added the third in the 66th minute after finishing off Arai’s corner with a towering header from close range before Nakamura struck in the first minute of added time to put the game to bed.