Waiting for the 'stormy' days to pass in the 'fire pan' of Vinh city

A rare opportunity in the first half that Song Lam Nghe An created in front of Nguyen Manh's goal. Photo: Chung Le

Angry is angry but still love is still love

The match at Vinh Stadium is considered the highlight of round 17 of V.League 2022. However, the number of spectators coming to the stadium to watch the match betweenLam River Nghe Anand Viettel suffered a heavy decline. It is estimated that only a few thousand fans were present at Vinh Stadium to watch the match considered the highlight of round 17 of V.League 2022. That number is far less than the match in round 14 when the home team Song Lam Nghe An met Hanoi FC.

In the stands, the enthusiasm of Nghe An fans also decreased significantly. The sound of drums, trumpets, and flag waving of fans was no longer as intense as before. The quiet atmosphere on Vinh Stadium existed throughout the 90 minutes of the match. About 15 minutes before the end of the match, some people left. However, there were still many loyal fans of the club waiting for the stormy days to pass, and for the light to return to coach Huy Hoang and his team.

Mr. Tran Hung - a Song Lam Nghe An fan with a home address in Le Loi ward (Vinh city) shared: “I love Song Lam Nghe An very much. For many years now, whenever the home team plays, I have almost always been there to cheer. It is like an indispensable spiritual food for me and my friends on the weekend. Today, the home team lost the match, making me and my friends very sad. "I am angry but I still love", I hope the home team will regain its spirit to dedicate beautiful matches to the fans. If Song Lam Nghe An plays true to its identity, the fans will never turn their backs on the team."

At the end of the match, Song Lam Nghe An lost the match, coach Huy Hoang was also very brave to take responsibility for himself: "The loss in the recent rounds is primarily my responsibility. I have not satisfied the football lovers of Nghe An. I will take the first responsibility".

The Vinh fire pan is inherently a place where “it’s easy to go, but hard to return” for many top teams in the V.League, but in recent rounds, Nghe An fans have not seen this anymore. However, “after the rain, the sky clears up”, the loyal love of Nghe An fans will be rewarded. As long as Song Lam Nghe An can quickly overcome psychological barriers, the enthusiasm will return to the Vinh fire pan.

Sad day at Vinh Stadium

Returning to the match in round 17, both teams played with a rather conservative style, without many risky situations. The speed of the match was just below average. The ball was mainly passed back and forth between the two sides in the midfield area.

In the first half, Viettel was the team that controlled the ball more than the home team Song Lam Nghe An. Coach Bae Jiwon's students kept the ball up to 64%. However, having to play away and not having the service of midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc - the soul of Viettel, made the army team not create much pressure on Van Hoang's goal. Mr. Bae Jiwon's team proactively chose a lurking style of play, waiting for the opponent's mistake. Thoroughly implementing that style of play, Viettel only created exactly 1 significant opportunity throughout the first half. That was the situation when Geovane ran down to face Van Hoang and flicked the ball with the instep of his foot, but unfortunately the ball went wide of the post.

Mario failed to show his strengths with his intentional passes. Photo: Chung Le

Viettel played without passion, Song Lam Nghe An also performed dull and pale football. The 3-5-2 formation was still applied by the Vinh home team as in previous matches. But coach Huy Hoang's students did not dare to risk pushing the formation up high, playing an open game with the opponent. The two wingers mainly played in the home field and focused on defense. Therefore, they could not create the strength of this formation that focuses on attacking the flanks.

On the other hand, the front line could not make flexible runs for teammates to exploit. Mario was arranged to play in the position of anchor midfielder. He tried to find space to make highly unpredictable passes. However, the front line players could not find a reasonable solution to move without the ball. Therefore, the opponent easily predicted and won the ball without much difficulty.

Those were the reasons why Song Lam Nghe An played in a deadlock. The only chance that the Vinh home team created in the first 45 minutes of the match came from a set piece, when Van Duc crossed the ball into the penalty area for Xuan Manh to jump high and head the ball, but the ball did not find Nguyen Manh's net.

Coach Huy Hoang's sadness after the loss at Vinh Stadium in round 17 of V.League 2022. Photo: Hai Hoang

Oseni entered the field in the second half, but the attacking ability of the Nghe An team did not change much. According to statistics, the time of ball control of Nghe An Club in the second half was only about 31%. This index is even worse than the first 45 minutes (34%). Explaining this, the head coach of Song Lam Nghe An said: "In previous matches when Que Ngoc Hai and Hoang Van Khanh were present, we organized the ball quite well. But in this match without Que Ngoc Hai and Mai Sy Hoang, Song Lam Nghe An played quite disjointedly, without the necessary cohesion."

It was predicted that Song Lam Nghe An could not control the game and therefore accepted defeat. Viettel's experience brought them victory right on the fiery pan of Vinh city.

After the loss, coach Huy Hoang confided: “Everyone in football wants to achieve the goals set at the beginning of the season. But right now I just need 1 win for the players to overcome the psychological barrier. If we can overcome that, I think the team will run smoothly again.”