Defeating defending champion Quang Nam, SLNA maintains 7-match winning streak

Meeting Quang Nam after a series of 6 consecutive wins is a good opportunity for SLNA to maintain their winning streak and close in on the Top 3. Meanwhile, Quang Nam is also determined to improve their rather poor streak. The two teams entered the match with enthusiasm and both aimed to attack each other's goal.

In the first 25 minutes, Quang Nam had 4 clearly dangerous opportunities. Midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung continued to be the inspiration for the visitors' attacks. In the 9th minute, captain Dinh Thanh Trung made his mark in Quang Nam's opening goal.

With a physical advantage, foreign player De Olivera of Quang Nam (1m85 tall) received a pass from Thanh Trung, jumped high and performed a technical header, defeating goalkeeper Vu Hai.

In the 22nd minute, the ball continued to be hung from the right wing into the 16m50 area and a player used his head as a wall for striker Ha Minh Tuan to control the ball perfectly and then kick it skillfully. Thanks to the excellent reflexes of goalkeeper Vu Hai, SLNA did not concede a second goal.

Foreign player Jeremie did not leave much of an impression in the third match. Photo: Duc Anh

Quang Nam's next chance came in the 25th minute, only luck helped the storm pass in front of the home team's goal. Midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung took a corner kick and Ha Minh Tuan still jumped high to head the ball but it went right into goalkeeper Vu Hai's position and was easily caught.

From the 36th minute, SLNA really came into their own with sharp attacks. Striker Michael Olaha had the opportunity and plenty of space to volley in the Quang Nam penalty area, but the ball went with too much force and missed the target.

Finally, after many missed opportunities, the goal came to the Vinh home team. In the 41st minute, Cao Xuan Thang took advantage of the opportunity, unleashing a powerful shot that hit the ball into the dead corner, defeating goalkeeper Van Cuong. The two teams entered the break with a 1-1 draw.

Cao Xuan Thang celebrates a beautiful goal. Photo: Duc Anh

Right at the beginning of the second half, SLNA's defense continued to show uncertainty and continuously had to deal with dangerous situations created by Quang Nam. Although goalkeeper Phan Dinh Vu Hai was not really focused, the defense still stood firm and SLNA did not concede a goal.

However, in defense, SLNA were the ones who took advantage of counter-attacks. In the 53rd minute, Ho Khac Ngoc made a skillful turn, eliminating the marking of two Quang Nam players and then shot hard with his left foot, forcing goalkeeper Van Cuong to push the ball away. Michael Olaha quickly rushed in to score, raising the score to 2-1 for SLNA.

After conceding the goal, Quang Nam still did not improve much in terms of the game and the opportunity continued to come to SLNA. In the 59th minute, Phan Van Duc crossed the ball from close to the sideline for Olaha to jump high and head the ball dangerously, but Van Cuong dived to block it successfully.

Defender Pham Xuan Manh in a fierce play. Photo: Duc Anh

Just a few minutes later, another opportunity came to Michael Olaha from a cross by Jeremie Lynch. Unfortunately, the Quang Nam goalkeeper was able to rush out and catch the ball.

In the last 20 minutes of the match, when Quang Nam continuously made substitutions to increase their attacking power, coach Duc Thang withdrew Hoang Van Binh and replaced him with defensive midfielder Ho Sy Sam. Quang Nam's most dangerous chance in the second half was Thanh Trung's free kick that went wide of the crossbar in the 72nd minute.

In this match, Jeremie Lynch missed many opportunities and the situation in the 76th minute was such a situation. A quick counterattack brought the ball to Olaha's feet, his cross was just enough to eliminate all Quang Nam players but Jeremie's final shot was not strong enough. The away team player promptly cleared the ball on the goal line.

At the end of the match, Xuan Toan and his teammates still had chances to score but failed to capitalize. In the end, SLNA won with a score of 2-1. The 7th consecutive win helped the Nghe An team gain 29 points and temporarily climb to 4th place on the V.League 2018 rankings.

LINEUP

SLNA: TM Vu Hai; Ngoc Hai, Dinh Hoang, Van Khanh, Xuan Manh, Van Binh, Khac Ngoc, Xuan Thang, Van Duc, Jeremie Lynch, Olaha Michael.

Quang Nam: TM Van Cuong, Van Phong, Ngoc Nguyen, Van Ha, Tan Sinh, Thanh Trung, Dinh Thang, Huy Hung, Nasciment De Olivera Warley, Quang Huy, Minh Tuan.

The "return" of Song Lam Nghe An!

(Baonghean.vn) - It was not until yesterday, with the 3-2 victory over Nam Dinh right at Thien Truong Stadium, that Nghe An audiences were able to see the image of SLNA of the past. An SLNA that played aggressively, with young players scoring goals and quality foreign players.