The homeowner was left empty-handed.

(Baonghean) - The opening match of the Final Round yesterday afternoon (March 12) at Vinh Stadium was a rematch of the 2014 National U19 Championship final between SLNA and HN T&T. In that match, HN T&T won against the Nghe An team and became champions. However, with mostly U17 players in the squad, there was no "revenge" from the home team SLNA.

Similar to the qualifying round, SLNA U19 entered the finals with a core group of U17 players, including six players born in 1999 who were members of the U15 team last year, such as Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Van Duc, Phan Van Duc, and Nguyen Van Ngoc…

Meanwhile, the visiting U19 Hanoi T&T team has nearly half of its players from Nghe An who graduated from the VST training academy, such as Huu Son, Van Kien, and Ba Duong… Therefore, many spectators jokingly said that “this is almost a match between two Nghe An teams.”

A ball contest between U19 SLNA and U19 Hanoi T&T.

Unlike the exhilarating matches in the group stage against opponents like Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, and Da Nang, U19 SLNA faced significant difficulties against a tough opponent, who was also the defending champion of the tournament.

Outmatched in terms of physique and stamina, the SLNA players were quickly pushed back into their own half right after the opening whistle. The visiting team then took full advantage of their superior size to score the opening goal. In the 7th minute, during an attacking move, center-back Nguyen Thanh Chung – the tallest player on the field – rose high to head the ball into the net unmarked, beating goalkeeper Duong Van Cuong.

Having conceded an early goal, the SLNA U19 players pushed forward in attack to find an equalizer. However, against an opponent playing a very aggressive pressing game, the home team's attacks were easily broken down right before the 16-meter box. Furthermore, after just over 10 minutes of play, their key striker Phan Văn Đức suffered an injury and had to leave the field, further hindering SLNA U19's play.

It wasn't until the 22nd minute that U19 SLNA had their first shot on goal against Hanoi T&T, courtesy of number 19 Nguyen Van Duc, but it was too weak to beat goalkeeper Duong Quang Tuan. Meanwhile, U19 Hanoi T&T, although playing at a slower pace, had much sharper attacks, forcing the U19 SLNA defenders to work hard to block them. The first half ended with a 1-0 lead for the visiting team.

In the second half, the game remained heavily tilted in favor of Hanoi T&T U19, and they quickly created scoring opportunities. In the 47th minute, after a quick attack down the left wing, the ball was crossed perfectly for number 10 Nguyen Huu Son to run onto and shoot, but he missed the ball. However, Hanoi T&T players didn't have to wait long to double their lead, and this time it was another header. In the 50th minute, receiving a corner kick from the right wing, center-back Nguyen Thanh Chung rose high to head the ball past the entire defense and goalkeeper Van Cuong, leaving them helpless.

Leading by two goals, the Hanoi T&T U19 players proactively dropped back, ceding control of the game to the home team. However, the attacking moves of Coach Nguyen Quang Hai's players did not become any more fluid. Unable to get close to the opponent's goal, the SLNA U19 players sought opportunities with long-range shots, but all lacked accuracy or sufficient difficulty to beat goalkeeper Quang Tuan. Even when they had a chance to reduce the deficit when Van Ngoc intercepted a back pass from a Hanoi T&T defender, the SLNA U19 striker failed to make a good save, allowing Quang Tuan to successfully clear the ball. Ultimately, SLNA U19 lost 0-2, temporarily placing them third in Group A.

Minh Quan