Ho Chi Minh City Police Team 'came from behind' to beat Song Lam Nghe An
Despite leading by 2 goals, Song Lam Nghe An still let Ho Chi Minh City Police come from behind to win.
Round 5 of V.League 2025/26, Song Lam Nghe An continues to play at Vinh Stadium to welcome Ho Chi Minh City Police. This is a meaningful match for the Nghe team as they are struggling to regain stability after the first 4 rounds.
With 4 points (1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses) and temporarily standing at 9th place on the rankings, SLNA really needs a victory to regain the trust of fans, and at the same time create momentum to break through before the season enters a more intense phase.
In this match, Coach Phan Nhu Thuat deployed the starting lineup including goalkeeper Van Binh; full-back pair Van Huy and Ba Quyen; central defender duo Nguyen Hoang - Justin Garcia. In the midfield, Enrique took on the role of blocking, Quang Vinh and Van Luong were in charge of controlling the rhythm and designing the play, while Van Cuong and Long Vu were active on the two flanks. In the attack, Olaha was expected to bring an explosion to break through the opponent's defense.
Despite playing at home and under pressure to score points, Song Lam Nghe An played quite passively in the first minutes of the match. However, the surprise came when, in the 15th minute, Song Lam Nghe An broke the deadlock.
From a lightning counterattack, Van Cuong advanced on the right wing, then passed the ball back inside to Ngo Van Luong. The midfielder wearing the number 20 shirt, fired a daring shot from outside the box to open the score for the home team.
Continuing the momentum after the goal, Song Lam Nghe An increased the pressure. And in the 20th minute, the home team Vinh doubled the gap. From the right wing, Ho Van Cuong crossed the ball to the far post, Ngo Van Luong headed it back to Olaha. The Nigerian striker fired a powerful left-footed shot, defeating goalkeeper Patrick Le Giang.
Scoring two consecutive goals helped Song Lam Nghe An play more easily. Coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team created many clear opportunities in front of the visitors' goal. In the 29th minute, Olaha got away from goalkeeper Le Giang after a pass from his teammate, but instead of shooting, the captain passed the ball to Ho Van Cuong. However, the goalkeeper of Ho Chi Minh City Police figured it out and prevented the midfielder wearing the number 30 from scoring.
In the final minutes of the first half, Ho Chi Minh City Police tried to push up their formation to find a goal to shorten the score. And after many attacks on the home team, in the 45th minute, Coach Le Huynh Duc's team finally got what they needed. From a cross from his teammate on the right wing, Tien Linh jumped high and headed the ball dangerously, defeating goalkeeper Cao Van Binh, shortening the score to 1-2 for Ho Chi Minh City Police.
In the second half, Ho Chi Minh City Police completely controlled the game and put a lot of pressure on the home team. And in the 56th minute, Coach Le Huynh Duc's team got what they needed when they equalized the score.
From a corner kick, the ball was sent towards the second post, midfielder Makrillos rushed in and headed the ball into Van Binh's net. Not stopping there, the spirit of Ho Chi Minh City Police increased and 61 minutes later they raised the score to 3-2. From a combination in the middle, midfielder Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong suddenly launched a beautiful long-range shot that defeated goalkeeper Van Binh.
In the final minutes of the match, although Song Lam Nghe An tried hard to find an equalizer, they were unsuccessful. In the end, Song Lam Nghe An let the away team come back and win with a score of 3-2.
