Coach Phan Nhu Thuat: 'Song Lam Nghe An needs more time to improve'

On the evening of March 3, at Vinh Stadium, Song Lam Nghe An Club welcomed Nam Dinh Blue Steel in round 12 of V.League. Despite playing with one more player in the last 20 minutes of the match, Song Lam Nghe An still lost 0-1 to Nam Dinh Blue Steel.

Speaking after the match, coach Phan Nhu Thuat said: ''The whole team played well in this match, strictly following the tactics. A draw would have been more reasonable given the events on the field.''

In fact, the young players of Song Lam Nghe An have been playing better and better. Against a strong opponent like Nam Dinh, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's players have played tightly and followed the tactics. The captain of the Nghe An team believes that his players need time to improve: ''The whole team has developed well in the past time, but they need to stay focused at the end of the match. The impatience of youth needs to be overcome''.

Talking about the situation at the end of the match that forced the main referee to consult VAR, coach Phan Nhu Thuat commented: ''VAR was created to be fair and support the referee more accurately, so I have no opinion and trust in VAR decisions''.

Meanwhile, coach Vu Hong Viet said: ''In the second match, we won in extra time, but in this match, the team received a red card. It is commendable for the team's spirit, determination to play and score a goal. When we lost a player due to a red card, the top priority was to protect the goal, waiting for situations to change from defense to attack.''

Assessing the playing spirit of the home team, the captain of the Nam Dinh team said: ''Right before the match, I assessed Song Lam Nghe An as a very difficult opponent. Their force is young, strong, and closes very quickly. In this match, the Vinh field's grass was not good, making it impossible for us to deploy a fast, coordinated attack style of play.''

Mr. Vu Hong Viet highly appreciated the two young players Phan Van Dai and goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet of the home team: ''I am most impressed with Van Dai (number 21) of Song Lam Nghe An for his speed and good personal technique. As for goalkeeper Van Viet, I used to work at U17 Vietnam. He has improved a lot, especially his footwork. This is the new version of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh''./.