![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d5adbffb-6646-4015-993f-c84819f8b076.jpg\")
Adelaide United’s Ethan Alagich gets ahead of his former captain, Cong An Han Noi’s Stefan Mauk. (Matt Turner\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n Adelaide United’s Ethan Alagich gets ahead of his former captain, Cong An Han Noi’s Stefan Mauk. (Matt Turner\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
Adelaide United’s quest to advance to the Asian Champions League Elite competition is over after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Vietnam champions Cong An Ha Noi.<\/p>\n
The Reds not only lost Tuesday night’s playoff to enter the Elite tournament, but also missed a chance to bank $1.1 million in prize money.<\/p>\n
Instead, Cong An Ha Noi took all the spoils, courtesy of goals from David Henen and Brayan Perea at Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium.<\/p>\n
![\"Henen\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8ef142af-3ac2-4399-ba08-7a9eaa6eb737.jpg\")
\n Cong An Ha Noi’s goalscorer David Henen duels with Adelaide United’s Fabian Talladira. (Matt Turner\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
Adelaide are now tipped into the second-tier ACL Two competition, leaving fellow A-League Men’s outfit Newcastle Jets as Australia’s sole representative in the Elite.<\/p>\n
The Jets earnt direct passage to the top-tier tournament by topping the A-League Men’s table at the end of the regular season.<\/p>\n
Adelaide finished second, setting up their playoff encounter against the V-League champions whose line-up included former Reds captain Stefan Mauk.<\/p>\n
Adelaide collectively couldn’t control Belgian-born Togo international Henen, who orchestrated a stirring victory for the Vietnamese outfit.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think it’s a big setback,” said Reds coach Airton Andrioli.<\/p>\n
“We’re in Asia, we’re obviously happy for that.<\/p>\n
“We were doing everything we could to maybe go into that Elite competition, but it was not meant to be.<\/p>\n
“It was a tough game – we played against a tough opposition that played the game really well.”<\/p>\n
In their first outing in Asian competition since 2017, the Reds enjoyed the better of the opening 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
![\"Talladira\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9d204667-452f-4052-bfb8-076e29772688.jpg\")
\n Reds midfielder Fabian Talladira wins a header against the influential Henen in the playoff. (Matt Turner\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
But Adelaide failed to fashion genuine chances after Juan Muniz went close nine minutes in with a curling 30 metre free kick that drifted wide.<\/p>\n
And in the 41st minute, the visitors struck when Adelaide’s Panagiotis Kikianis found himself in a tangle with influential attacker Henen.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old and Kikianis collided in battle for a through ball and the Reds defender fell, leaving Henen unmarked.<\/p>\n
One-on-one with Adelaide goalkeeper Josh Smits, Henen coolly drove a low left-footed shot into the net.<\/p>\n
Henen put an exclamation mark on his display in the 64th minute when he turned provider for Colombian-born striker Perea.<\/p>\n
Henen found space along the right flank and his canny cut-back found Perea, who expertly angled a first-time strike for the visitors’ second goal.<\/p>\n
Before a 6,451 strong crowd featuring a large contingent of Adelaide’s Vietnamese community, the Reds couldn’t muster a reply.<\/p>\n
Adelaide midfielder Fabian Talladira fired a left-footed attempt wide in the 72nd minute and, a dozen minutes later, midfielder Ryan White launched a speculative long-range shot high of the target.<\/p>\n
A minute into extra time, White had a golden chance denied. Unmarked and two metres out, his header was deflected into the post off the right glove of goalkeeper Nguyen Filip.<\/p>\n