Song Lam Nghe An's journey in the first leg

Difficult beginning

Entering the season with a young but somewhat inexperienced squad,Lam River Nghe Anencountered many difficulties in adapting and implementing effective playing style. In particular, in the first rounds, the team had to face a storm of injuries when a series of key players left the field one after another. Important names such as Tran Dinh Hoang, Le Van Thanh, Ho Khac Luong, Phan Ba ​​Quyen, Le Nguyen Hoang... had problems with muscles and ligaments, causing the "captain" of Song Lam Nghe An to have a headache in arranging the squad. This not only affected the overall playing style but also significantly reduced the team's strength. That was the main reason why the team was still "left behind" despite their efforts.

In the first 12 matches, the team only won 1, drew 6, lost 5, scored 7 goals and conceded 21. This achievement caused Song Lam Nghe An to fall to the second to last position on the rankings, only 2 points above the bottom team Da Nang.

Talking about the difficult time the team had to go through, coach Phan Nhu Thuat said: “In the first leg, the performance was not good due to many players being injured. This was one of the main factors that caused the team to plummet in the first stage of the season.”

Bright spots at the end of the first leg

Anticipating the difficulties that could cause Song Lam Nghe An to run out of steam on the road to finding a ticket to stay in the league, the Club's Board of Directors decided to add more personnel. Bright spots in personnel have appeared at the Vinh Stadium team. In particular, the return of veterans such as Hoang Van Khanh and Ho Khac Ngoc has brought experience and stability to the team.

In particular, in the match against Binh Duong in round 11, Khac Ngoc's excellence in the role of regulating the midfield helped Song Lam Nghe An win a dramatic 1-0, marking the team's first victory of the season.

“The new recruits joining Song Lam Nghe An will bring experience and boost the confidence of the whole team. In addition, the presence of Khac Ngoc will create competition in the midfield of Song Lam Nghe An, thereby increasing the professional quality of our team,” coach Phan Nhu Thuat shared.

With the appearance of Khac Ngoc and Van Khanh as a lever to help Song Lam Nghe An players regain their form and excitement in playing football. In particular, the 3 new foreign players of the Nghe An team recruited at the beginning of the season have gradually adapted to the Vietnamese football environment and begun to show their value in the squad.

This was clearly demonstrated in the match between Song Lam Nghe An and Hai Phong at Vinh Stadium. This encounter was likened to a "reverse final" when both teams were at the bottom of the table. With great determination, Song Lam Nghe An played resiliently and won 1-0 thanks to a goal by young midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien.

After the match, Nghe An fans were not only satisfied with the results achieved by Song Lam Nghe An but also full of confidence in the bright future of the team's young players and quality foreign players.

It can be affirmed that Song Lam Nghe An's victory over Hai Phong has brought many advantages to the team after the end of the first leg. First of all, Song Lam Nghe An has escaped the dangerous position on the V-League rankings. After 13 rounds, Song Lam Nghe An is ranked 12th, 1 point more than the second-to-last team in the rankings, Hai Phong, and 4 points more than the bottom team. This will open up a brighter prospect on the path to finding a ticket to stay in the league for the Nghe team this season.

Not only that, the victory in the "reverse final" will create positive psychological momentum for coach Phan Nhu Thuat's students in the second leg.

Expectations for the return leg

After the first leg, coach Phan Nhu Thuat, although happy with the victory in round 13 against the team directly competing for the relegation ticket - Hai Phong, still expressed his concern: "The victory in this match is meaningful to boost morale, but the relegation battle is still very fierce. I hope the team will maintain good form like this match to complete the goal set at the beginning of the season".

It can be said that although there are still many challenges ahead, with the added experience of veterans and the fighting spirit of young players, fans have the right to hope for a strong breakthrough in the second leg, to ensure the goal of Song Lam Nghe An successfully staying in the league.