Interim coach Nguyen Huy Hoang: Song Lam Nghe An needs to quickly improve its defense.

The 1-1 draw between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An at Pleiku Stadium on the evening of October 3 brought about many contrasting emotions. In the heavy rain, the slippery pitch made it difficult for both teams to deploy their play. Song Lam Nghe An started the game proactively but conceded an early goal, before Olaha equalized in the second half. Notably, they were lucky to keep a point when their opponents missed a penalty kick in the last minute of extra time.

Sharing after the match, coach Nguyen Huy Hoang admitted that luck had smiled on his team. He said: “Yesterday, when we practiced on Pleiku field, the weather was nice, so we were very confident. However, today it rained, the field was full of water, which greatly affected the playing style of both teams. In these wet conditions, the team that takes advantage of the finishing moves will win. Hoang Anh Gia Lai failed to take advantage of the penalty kick at the end of the match, luck was on our side.”

In the overall assessment, Coach Huy Hoang emphasized that Song Lam Nghe An's biggest weakness is their defense, especially in the home half. He frankly admitted: "We need to improve more in defense. The team must tighten their concentration, organize better long-range blocking, and avoid letting the opponent approach the penalty area too easily. Otherwise, just a moment of lapse of concentration can make us pay a heavy price."

In fact, in this match, Song Lam Nghe An was put in dangerous situations many times. Without the excellence of goalkeeper Van Binh and a little luck, the Nghe team would hardly have left with a point. Therefore, improving the defense is an urgent task for the whole team in the upcoming rounds.

When asked about being trusted by the Board of Directors to lead the team, the 44-year-old strategist said: "The team's Board of Directors has assigned us to be the coaching staff, possibly temporarily while looking for a new coach. We don't care much about that, the most important thing is to do our job well."

A point won in Pleiku cannot help Song Lam Nghe An improve their ranking much, but at least they have temporarily escaped the danger zone. After 6 rounds, the Nghe team has 5 points, standing at 10th place on the rankings. The gap with the opponents behind is very fragile, so each upcoming match will be important.

Although they have not yet overcome all their shortcomings, the draw with Hoang Anh Gia Lai has shown the resilient spirit of Song Lam Nghe An. They did not collapse after being behind early but still fought until the last minutes. One point is not enough to solve the problem, but it is enough to send the message that Song Lam Nghe An is showing a very positive fighting spirit. With that spirit, if they know how to improve their defense and maintain their cohesion, the Nghe An team can completely gradually escape the pressure and regain stability in the remaining stages of the season.