Unable to break the curse, SLNA could only get a draw against Saigon FC.

The atmosphere was frenzied throughout the stands at Thong Nhat Stadium. Photo: Chung Nguyen

The "Holy Land" of Thong Nhat has never been easy for the warriors in yellow. Since 2016, SLNA has only had 2 draws on the field of Saigon FC. In the remaining 4 matches, the Nghe An team had to return home empty-handed.

However, in this match, SLNA fans have the right to hope for a positive result, as the away team is supported by thousands of fans of the Nghe An team. The stands are covered in yellow from 1,000 giant flags.

The enthusiastic atmosphere in the stands helped both teams get excited as soon as the referee blew the whistle to start the match. The home team at Thong Nhat Stadium tried to put pressure on the Nghe An club from the start. However, with the strength of Ojong Mark and the cunning of Que Ngoc Hai, coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team did not have much room to play.

Van Duc had to leave the field due to injury in the 20th minute of the match. Photo: Chung Nguyen

An unfortunate thing for SLNA was that Van Duc had to leave the field due to injury, after less than 20 minutes of the match. The replacement for the midfielder wearing the 20 shirt was the prodigy Dinh Xuan Tien.

With Saigon's "counter-strategy" style of play, this team had a clear chance in the 33rd minute of the match, but unfortunately striker Do Merlo missed the ball inexplicably while Van Hoang's goal was empty.

Immediately, SLNA responded, with an attack from the right wing; then Oseni had a very dangerous cross. However, Olaha could not touch the ball. That was SLNA's clearest chance since the beginning of the match.

SLNA players celebrate. Photo: Chung Nguyen

However, Nghe An fans did not have to feel too regretful, because in the 45th minute, Oseni opened the score for the Vinh home team. It was a classy live shot from the striker wearing the number 91 shirt. The shot was more than 20m away, the ball quickly went into the far corner of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Van Phong just standing there watching.

That goal also had a great contribution from midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien when he penetrated the penalty area and created a reasonable header for Oseni to score.

The opening goal was also the last play of the first half. In this half, there were not many opportunities created by the two teams, but with reasonable tactics, SLNA broke the deadlock of the match.

In this match, SLNA used many young players. Photo: Chung Nguyen

Entering the second half, with the excitement gained after taking the lead, the Vinh home team put pressure on Van Phong's goal from the start. Promising young player Dinh Xuan Tien had a shot in front of the home team's penalty area. However, his shot went straight to the position Van Phong had chosen.

Surprisingly, in the 56th minute of the match, Do Merlo scored the equalizer for Saigon. With a precise cross, the veteran striker of the home team skillfully tapped the ball in, making it impossible for Van Hoang to block. The goal was scored from a mistake by Dinh Hoang, this defender was unable to put pressure on Do Merlo's cunning.

After the balance was established, the competitive spirit of SLNA players did not drop. The Nghe An team still created many clear opportunities. In the 65th minute, Olaha put the ball into Van Phong's net, but the referee thought that this striker was offside. This was a rather sensitive move, because the Saigon full-back seemed to be the one standing below Olaha in the controversial situation mentioned above.

In the final minutes of the match, the coaches of both teams were quite cautious, not daring to push their formations high, so there were very few opportunities created. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

After this match, V.League 2022 will be on break for more than 3 months. Round 5 of the National Championship will return in mid-July. In this round, SLNA will be the team on break.