Thinking about Song Lam Nghe An's fourth red card.

Up to this point,Lam River, Nghe AnNghe An has received 4 red cards, second only to Binh Dinh with 5. The players from Nghe An who received red cards include three defenders: Que Ngoc Hai, Tran Dinh Hoang, and Thai Ba Sang, as well as foreign player Olaha. 23-year-old center-back Thai Ba Sang, in addition to his red card in Quy Nhon, also received 4 yellow cards, placing him among the players with the most aggressive play in V.League 2022. In this match, besides the goal conceded and Ba Sang's red card, Que Ngoc Hai also received a yellow card and will miss the next match due to accumulating 3 yellow cards.

Thai Ba Sang received his second yellow card, making SLNA's chances of getting any points against the home team Binh Dinh virtually impossible. Photo: Chung Le

Binh Dinh, nicknamed the "PSG of Vietnam," were considered the stronger team compared to Song Lam Nghe An. At the beginning of the season, despite their high spirits at Vinh Stadium, coach Huy Hoang's team still lost 1-2. Towards the end of the season, with inconsistent form, few expected a victory away from home.

However, despite being in good physical condition at the start of the match and focusing on mass defense, the visiting team Song Lam Nghe An conceded an early goal from a high ball. The defense of the Nghe An team, consisting of many national team players and former national team players, concentrated 7-8 yellow-shirted players within the 16.5m area, but still allowed Xuan Nam to score.

Van Duc still showed good form, but on an unlucky day, he was unable to help Song Lam Nghe An score a goal in the match against Binh Dinh. (Photo courtesy of Chung Le)

This isn't the first time this season that Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates have conceded goals in such situations. This has prevented Song Lam Nghe An from maintaining their form; after a resounding 3-0 victory against Binh Duong, they suffered a defeat at Quy Nhon. To date, the Nghe An team has only managed two consecutive wins against Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Linh Ha Tinh, with the rest of their matches following victories being disappointing. Surprisingly, coach Huy Hoang, a renowned tough-playing center-back for the national team, has been unable to control his players when he takes charge.

Of the 35 yellow cards received by Song Lam Nghe An players since the beginning of the season, many were due to defenders being out of position and lacking the speed to compete with opponents, forcing them to commit fouls. There were also numerous instances of Song Lam Nghe An players making malicious tackles unnecessarily, with Thai Ba Sang being a prime example. Despite being promoted to the first team relatively early, he took on too many non-specialized responsibilities, causing his professional development to stagnate and becoming the weakest point in Song Lam Nghe An's defense.

Losing to a strong team like Binh Dinh isn't a major concern, but avoiding defeat against Hai Phong and Nam Dinh is something the Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff must definitely consider. It's known that the team's defense will undergo many changes after this season, but they must urgently strengthen their back line. Given the current situation, even though they are 11 points behind third place, Song Lam Nghe An players need to put in a lot of effort to break into the top 5.