The big lesson from the Nghe Tinh Derby
Despite having the advantage of a leading goal and playing with a man advantage, Song Lam Nghe An still dropped points in the Nghe Tinh Derby. This was a disappointing match and a major lesson for coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team.
Lam River, Nghe AnThey started the match quite well, and as a result, the Nghe An team took the lead with a goal from center-back Justin Garcia in the 7th minute. The home team had an even greater advantage when defender Huynh Tan Tai received a direct red card after a dangerous tackle on Vuong Van Huy.
It was thought that having the advantage of a leading goal and playing with an extra man would help Song Lam Nghe An perform better. But that wasn't the case - the events on the field only added to the disappointment of the Nghe An fans.
Instead of continuing to increase the pressure to find more goals to finish off their opponent, coach Phan Như Thuật's team unexpectedly played defensively from very early on. This was the first mistake of Song Lam Nghe An in the recent match, contributing to Hong Linh Ha Tinh's dominance and creating dangerous opportunities towards goalkeeper Cao Van Binh's goal.
Despite playing a defensive counter-attacking style, the Nghe An team lacked sharp transitions. In the recent match, apart from Michael Olaha's outstanding performance, Reon Dale Moore, Le Dinh Long Vu, and Ngo Van Luong played rather poorly. Even coach Phan Nhu Thuat's adjustments in the second half didn't leave much of an impression.
The weakness in Song Lam Nghe An's attacking play only gave coach Nguyen Cong Manh's team more confidence in increasing their offensive power. This contributed significantly to the draw.Hong Linh, Ha TinhThat's midfielder Onoja Joseph. The Nigerian midfielder had a phenomenal game, dominating the entire midfield of Song Lam Nghe An.
Yet, the coaching staff of the Nghe An team "failed to recognize" this and fielded opponents worthy of Onoja Joseph. If Carlos Enrique or Nguyen Quang Vinh had been brought on earlier, it's uncertain whether Hong Linh Ha Tinh would have been able to maintain their good form and score an equalizer.
Besides technical factors, the fighting spirit of the Song Lam Nghe An players in the recent match was not good. Since Huynh Tan Tai's red card, the players of the Nghe An team seemed to have a slumped mentality, becoming somewhat complacent and lacking focus. This caused Song Lam Nghe An to often be at a disadvantage in one-on-one challenges.
It's worth noting that after the break, instead of being motivated, the morale of the Song Lam Nghe An players continued to decline – an unacceptable situation given their numerous advantages.
Given the events on the pitch, a draw in the Nghe Tinh Derby was a reasonable outcome. In fact, Song Lam Nghe An should consider themselves lucky to have secured a point at Vinh Stadium.
This draw is clearly a disappointing result for Song Lam Nghe An, especially considering they were playing at home and had a significant numerical advantage. Meanwhile, for Hong Linh Ha Tinh, this can be considered a valuable point – saving face in the derby and demonstrating the resilient spirit of a united team.
The disappointment of the Nghe An fans is understandable, but this will also be a big lesson for Song Lam Nghe An. Especially since, in the next match, Song Lam Nghe An will have to host a very difficult opponent - Ho Chi Minh City Police. If they don't quickly improve both their morale and professional skills, the Nghe An team could continue to face difficulties in the race.V.Leaguethis year.
The match between Song Lam Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City Police will take place at 6 PM on September 27th at Vinh Stadium.
