Thanh - Nghe football "progress together"

It was quite surprising that SLNA played poorly and their neighboring team was not doing much better. And now, they are the only two teams with 3 wins in the V-League, playing more and more impressively.

Both Mr. Thang won.

After the golden victory against the tough opponent Hai Phong, SLNA took the opportunity to play against B.Binh Duong at Vinh Stadium, they did not miss the opportunity to earn all 3 points. With a good mentality, SLNA continued to win against the away team XSKT.Can Tho, together with FLC Thanh Hoa, becoming the team with the best results in the second leg.

In the 3 consecutive wins at Vinh Stadium against Hai Phong, B.Binh Duong and XSKT.Can Tho, the victory over the Port City team is rated the highest. This is the opponent that has won all 3 times at Vinh Stadium in the past 3 years, broadly speaking, SLNA lost 5 and drew 2 when facing the team of Coach Truong Viet Hoang.

Midfielder Ngo Xuan Toan has scored 2 goals in SLNA's last 3 matches. Photo: Duc Anh

In the context that SLNA has not won any victory at Vinh Stadium since the beginning of the season, having 1 goal to bring 3 points is considered a "turning point" of the season. Experience and fighting spirit are the strengths that help the Nghe An team overcome the difficult moments of the season.

Unlike the Nghe An team, FLC Thanh Hoa has gone from being a championship candidate to a free fall. Coming to FLC Thanh Hoa from round 7, but it was not until round 13 - after "cleaning" the squad - that Duc Thang could smile. If bringing an assistant to Thanh Hoa did not bring results, then "cutting" 4 players and then in reality only 3, along with "summoning" Huu Dung from Can Tho, had immediate results.

As the experts in Nghe An football have said, the biggest problem of the team is the chaos in the dressing room. When the national players and former national players do not look in the same direction, Thanh Hoa football is in a rapid decline.

Midfielders Hoang Thinh and Huu Dung, as soon as they returned to their hometown team, reorganized the midfield of FLC Thanh Hoa. The Thanh team, like SLNA, boldly played against the West by leaving Ofere out, only using foreign player Pape Omar.

Compared to the Nghe team, Thanh Hoa's opponents are somewhat stronger and have 1 away win, which are SHB.Da Nang, SXKT.Can Tho (away) and B.Binh Duong. FLC Thanh Hoa has returned to 5th place and is only 3 points behind the second-placed Quang Nam - a gap that is not too difficult for them to close. The top 3 goal is now within reach of coach Duc Thang.

Extend the winning streak

It seems that FLC Thanh Hoa will have more difficulties, because their schedule will be against Hai Phong (home) and SHB.Da Nang (away) while SLNA will face Saigon (home) and Hai Phong (away).

Ngo Hoang Thinh is currently the conductor of FLC Thanh Hoa. Photo: Internet

In terms of force, FLC Thanh Hoa is considered to be more solid, foreign player Pape Omar is more excellent than Olaha. After the initial stumbles when returning to the race, Thanh Hoa football is still considered a force in V-League.

SLNA had 3 wins but all were quite difficult because of their "Western" style of play, and the main scorer Van Duc was injured. The attacking pressure of the Nghe team was not great enough, the goals came due to the brilliance of the domestic players rather than the overwhelming game.

With the addition of “reinforcement” Van Binh from FLC Thanh Hoa, Van Duc has returned to training and the hope for “foreign soldier X” will give coach Duc Thang more “powder” to “make glue” in the final stage. According to calculations, they need at least 3 more victories to be able to sleep soundly and plan for next season.

For now, SLNA must focus on the match against Saigon. This is an opponent they lost to in the first leg but whose current form is very erratic. In addition to winning 3 points, they also need to keep Xuan Manh, Tuan Tai, and Van Khanh from getting more yellow cards if they want to be able to play at Lach Tray Stadium.