2 foreign players of Song Lam Nghe An disappointed on their debut day

At the end of the 2023/24 season, Song Lam Nghe An said goodbye to the foreign duo Mario Zebic and Success. In particular, Success had a forgettable season when he did not leave any mark on the Vinh home team. In addition, center-back Mario with a slim body did not create a solid support for his teammates. It can be affirmed that this is one of the reasons why Song Lam Nghe An played poorly in the 2023/24 season?

Therefore, when Song Lam Nghe An decided to part ways with this foreign duo to welcome new foreign players, many Nghe An fans were happy and had great faith in their team.

Accordingly, the foreign duo arriving at Vinh Stadium in the 2024/25 season are center-back Sebastian Zaracho and striker Benjamin Kuku. These two new players are rumored by the media and are considered to be the perfect pieces for the Nghe An team. That has made the opening day of V-League 2024/25 at Vinh Stadium witness quite a large crowd of spectators coming to cheer. In addition to cheering for the home team, many fans are also curious to see the playing skills of these two new foreign players.

For Sebastian Zaracho, it can be affirmed that this is a type of central defender with an average level of expertise. Normally, when playing with 3 central defenders, foreign players are often assigned the responsibility of playing in the center of the defense. This arrangement is to promote the ability to read situations, compete strongly, resolve high ball situations and effectively cover for teammates.

However, in Zaracho's first match at Vinh Stadium, the coaching staff placed him in the left center-back position. The player wearing the number 15 shirt failed to show his leading role in the defense of Song Lam Nghe An. Many gaps on the left flank where Zaracho was stationed were continuously exploited by SHB Da Nang's attackers. In particular, the most notable opportunity was the away team's opportunity in the 32nd minute. Luckily for the home team, Minh Quang's shot could not beat goalkeeper Van Viet.

However, Zaracho's most blameworthy move came in the 64th minute of the match. The center-back wearing the number 15 shirt made a bad pass, allowing the opposing player to steal the ball. In order to resolve this dangerous situation, Zaracho fought with both feet quite violently. Immediately, the main referee showed a red card and sent the Paraguayan center-back off. Luckily, in the match of round 1, Song Lam Nghe An still kept 1 point at home.

Commenting on Zaracho, coach Pham Anh Tuan still defended the player, saying that he plays football quite intelligently and skillfully. However, the captain of Song Lam Nghe An also added: "Zaracho lacks calculation in entering and exiting situations, and also fights more than necessary."

Thus, in the back line, Zaracho had a disappointing debut day, and Kuku in the front line was not much brighter.

Through the performance of this striker in the first match, it can be said that Kuku is a striker who plays quite rough football. The player wearing the number 10 shirt cannot show the strength and power to be able to fight independently. In addition, Kuku also does not show the sensitivity and sophistication in the scoring ability of a striker.

Throughout the entire match, the Nigerian striker only had 3 shots on goal against SHB Da Nang. The most regrettable of which was Kuku's shot in the 90th minute. If Benjamin Kuku had been more refined and had shown his talent for scoring goals, he would not have rushed to shoot, giving the Da Nang goalkeeper a chance to block.

After the match, coach Pham Anh Tuan frankly commented on this striker: "Striker Kuku has not integrated well with the team's general playing style. Before the match, Kuku had malaria, this is the reason why Kuku was not in the best physical condition on the day of his debut at Vinh Stadium" - Mr. Tuan said.

It can be affirmed that the debut of the two new foreign players of Song Lam Nghe An in the first round of V-League was not really convincing. With the level of football that this duo has shown, will it be enough to help the ship named Song Lam Nghe An dock safely this season? Anyway, fans can only hope that this duo will completely transform in the journey ahead of V-League 2024/25.