The reliable 'goalkeeper' at Song Lam Nghe An

Rare bright spot

If someone asks who is the most worth-watching player in Song Lam Nghe An at the moment, it probably won't take long to get the answer, that is goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet.

"The goalkeeper" born in 2002 is the name that left the clearest mark inLam River Nghe Anin this year's season.Vietnamese Literatureis one of two players at Nghe An team to play all 9 matches in V.League 2024/25.

Although, after 9 rounds, Van Viet has conceded 16 goals, the talent of this goalkeeper cannot be denied. Because, in front of Van Viet is a defense that has played very poorly, constantly making mistakes. If it weren't for the excellent reflexes and good judgment of the situation from the "goalkeeper" born in 2002, then surely the number of goals conceded by Song Lam Nghe An could have been far more than 16.

Recalling the 1-1 draw between Song Lam Nghe An and Quang Nam at Hoa Xuan Stadium, this was also the first match in which coach Phan Nhu Thuat returned to the hot seat. Goalkeeper Van Viet was chosen by the new head coach of the Nghe team to play in the starting lineup and he had a convincing performance.

Specifically, after scoring a goal, Song Lam Nghe An's performance slowed down, causing Quang Nam to put great pressure on Van Viet's goal.

Among them, Hoang Vu Samson, Eyenga Alain, Hyuri Henrique... continuously took turns shooting at Song Lam Nghe An's goal, but with his excellent performance, Van Viet almost discouraged the Quang Nam strikers. In particular, in the 70th minute from a distance of just over 10m, Eyenga Alain fired a powerful shot that went straight into the top corner, but with his excellent reflexes, Van Viet successfully blocked it.

However, Van Viet's excellence alone was not enough for Song Lam Nghe An to keep a clean sheet, because then in the 75th minute, Quang Nam scored an equalizer from Hyuri Henrique's close-range shot.

In the first match of round 9, Van Viet conceded 5 goals, but in the end, this goalkeeper almost made no mistakes. The goals conceded all came from unstoppable shots created by Viettel strikers.

"We have made many mistakes. During the 2-month break of V.League for the National Team to participate in the AFF Cup 2024, Song Lam Nghe An will actively practice. We are determined to overcome the limitations and will come back stronger in the next stage of the season," Van Viet shared.

It can be said that, in contrast to the sad start of Song Lam Nghe An, Van Viet is showing to be a rare bright spot of the Nghe team. If in the near future, the Nghe team's coaching board can reform the defense, combined with the excellence of Van Viet, then it is very possible that Song Lam Nghe An will escape the crisis that is stuck like it is now.

Not on the list for AFF Cup

Despite his good performance in V.League 2024/25, Van Viet was not called by coach Kim Sang Sik to the Vietnam National Team to participate in the AFF Cup 2024.

In the training trip before the AFF Cup, the Vietnam National Team had 4 goalkeepers: Nguyen Filip, Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Tran Trung Kien. These are all goalkeepers with good skills, achieving quite stable performance since the beginning of the season until now.

And above all, each coach has a different philosophy and way of using people, so it is not too surprising that Van Viet was eliminated this time. However, if he continues to perform well in the domestic tournament, the door to the national team is still wide open for goalkeeper Van Viet.

"When I learned that my name was not on the list of players called up to the Vietnam National Team, I felt a bit sad. However, this is also a favorable condition for me to focus on training with Song Lam Nghe An. We are determined to escape the danger zone. In the coming time, with my efforts, I hope that the door to the national team will continue to open for me. Through this, I also wish the Vietnam National Team will win the championship at the AFF Cup 2024", - Van Viet said.