Scoring first, U21 Song Lam Nghe An still had to share points with U21 Thanh Hoa

Dinh Xuan Tien continued to score, but U21 Song Lam Nghe An could not get all 3 points against U21 Thanh Hoa. Photo: Chung Le

Before entering the second series,U21 Song Lam Nghe Ancurrently has 3 points and is temporarily ranked first in group A. If they win this match, U21 Song Lam Nghe An will officially enter the quarter-finals.

To achieve the goal of quickly passing the group stage, coach Nguyen Van Tien has deployed the strongest squad available. In which Dinh Xuan Tien is still the player expected to create the explosive force in the home team's attack. Besides, Ho Van Cuong, Nguyen Van Bach, Ho Khac Luong, Tran Manh Quynh are all in the starting lineup.

Le Van Thanh plays quite aggressively on the right wing. Photo: Chung Le

With the confidence gained after the opening match, U21 Song Lam Nghe An quickly dominated the game. However, U21 Thanh Hoa also did not hide their ambition to score points in this match. Therefore, the away team took the initiative to play defensive counter-attack, establishing a tight game on the home field.

With the intention of fully exploiting the wing attack style, coach Nguyen Van Tien arranged the team in a 4-3-3 formation. Van Bach was the highest player in the attack line of the Nghe An team. However, U21 Thanh Hoa played with a rather low formation, causing many difficulties for the home team to be able to deploy their attacking intentions.

Dinh Xuan Tien continues to be the soul of the midfield of U21 Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Chung Le

Realizing that the deployment of high balls was not very effective, coach Nguyen Van Tien decided to use low-level ball rotations, with short passes. This way of playing immediately took effect. In the 25th minute, from the right wing, the ball was passed to Tran Manh Quynh. This midfielder handled the ball skillfully, before passing it back inside for Dinh Xuan Tien to make a beautiful kick, hitting Anh Tuan's net. The score was opened for U21 Song Lam Nghe An.

It was thought that the goal would make it easy for U21 Song Lam Nghe An to dominate the game. However, the surprise happened right after that, from a central attack, U21 Thanh Hoa players penetrated the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Chu Van Tan to commit a foul. On the penalty spot, Nguyen Cong Son brought the game back to the starting line.

U21 Song Lam Nghe An created many dangerous attacks in front of the opponent's goal. Photo: Chung Le

In the second half, U21 Thanh Hoa actively played close to the midfield. Therefore, it caused many difficulties for U21 Song Lam Nghe An's ability to launch attacks. Coach Le Hong Minh's team successfully blocked midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien. That made it difficult for U21 Song Lam Nghe An to coordinate and launch attacks.

To refresh the playing style, coach Nguyen Van Tien decided to bring Tran Nam Hai and Le Van Quy onto the field. This substitution made the Nghe An team's midfield play more rhythmic and flexible. In the 60th minute, from the home team's coordination in the middle, the ball was sent out to the sideline for Vuong Van Huy to make a pass that fell into the 5m50 area of ​​the away team. However, Manh Quynh's shot could not beat the opponent's goalkeeper.

U21 Thanh Hoa played close and were not afraid of collisions, causing U21 Song Lam Nghe An to face many difficulties. Photo: Chung Le

In the final minutes of the match, U21 Song Lam Nghe An tried to increase the pressure, but against the well-organized defense of U21 Thanh Hoa, the home team could not score a second goal against goalkeeper Anh Tuan.

In the end, U21 Song Lam Nghe An had a 1-1 draw against U21 Thanh Hoa. With 4 points, U21 Song Lam Nghe An still ranked first in Group A. Right behind was U21 Da Nang with 1 point less./.