Defender Vo Ngoc Duc: Difficulty in finding himself
(Baonghean.vn) - In the final stages of this season, the player born in 1994 was continuously used by the SLNA coaching staff in the starting lineup. This is a reward for Vo Ngoc Duc's tireless efforts.
Once a mainstay of SLNA in the 2016 season, Vo Ngoc Duc has gradually lost his position to his teammates. In V.League 2017, the left-back position of SLNA is held by Vo Ngoc Duc, Pham Manh Hung and Pham Xuan Manh. According to statistics, the defender from Quynh Luu (Nghe An) played 14/26 matches, equivalent to 1069 minutes.
Entering this season, things were not much brighter for Vo Ngoc Duc. The total number of matches the 24-year-old player played for SLNA in V.League 2018 was only 14 (9 starting matches). If Pham Manh Hung had not continuously made mistakes, Pham Xuan Manh had not been carded and injured, Vo Ngoc Duc's chances of playing would have been even less.
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| Vo Ngoc Duc (number 2) has been playing more recently. Photo courtesy |
However, it must be objectively admitted that Vo Ngoc Duc is a man who knows how to seize opportunities. In the second leg of the National Cup semi-final between SLNA and FLC Thanh Hoa on September 5, Pham Xuan Manh had to leave the field early due to injury, while the player who replaced him, Pham Manh Hung, played with terrible form (his slip helped Nguyen Trong Hoang raise the score to 3 - 0).
Faced with such a situation, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his colleagues had to hand over the left-back position to Vo Ngoc Duc. In 6 consecutive matches, from round 21 to round 26, the defender born in 1994 was in the starting lineup. Not letting down the trust of the SLNA coaching staff, the player wearing the number 2 shirt always completed the assigned tasks well. He attacked and defended rhythmically, diligently and persistently like a machine.
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| Had to compete for position with junior Pham Xuan Manh. Photo archive |
The situation of clearing the ball on the goal line of the home team in the 36th minute of the match Sanna Khanh Hoa - SLNA (1 - 2) in round 25 was the most impressive move among many impressive moves of Vo Ngoc Duc in V.League 2018. Thanks to the "shield" of the player from Quynh Luu (Nghe An) on the left wing, SLNA's defense was much less fragile.
Despite his impressive performances recently, Vo Ngoc Duc has yet to regain his inherent qualities - he was called up to the Vietnam Olympic team by Coach Miura in 2014. Especially, with the outstanding maturity of his junior Pham Xuan Manh, the competition for the starting position in the left-back position of SLNA is extremely fierce.
Vo Ngoc Duc’s journey to find himself is still full of obstacles ahead. Hopefully, he will make more efforts to prove his talent, responding to the expectations of Nghe An fans./.
