The reliable goalkeeper at Song Lam Nghe An.

A rare bright spot

If someone were to ask who the most exciting player at Song Lam Nghe An is right now, it probably wouldn't take long to get the answer: goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet.

The goalkeeper, born in 2002, is the name that has left the most significant mark.Lam River, Nghe Anin this season.Vietnamese LiteratureHe is currently one of only two players at the Nghe An team to have played in all 9 matches of the V.League 2024/25 season.

Although Van Viet has conceded 16 goals after 9 rounds, his talent cannot be denied. This is because Van Viet faced a defense that performed extremely poorly and made numerous mistakes. Without his exceptional reflexes and excellent situational awareness, Song Lam Nghe An's number of conceded goals could have far exceeded 16.

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

Specifically, after scoring a goal against their opponents, Song Lam Nghe An slowed down their pace of play, allowing Quang Nam to put significant pressure on Van Viet's goal.

In that match, Hoang Vu Samson, Eyenga Alain, Hyuri Henrique... continuously bombarded Song Lam Nghe An's goal, but with his outstanding performance, Van Viet almost completely frustrated the Quang Nam strikers. In particular, in the 70th minute, from a distance of just over 10 meters, Eyenga Alain unleashed a powerful shot that went into the top corner, but with a superb reflex save, Van Viet successfully blocked it.

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

In the first match of round 9, although Van Viet conceded 5 goals, overall the goalkeeper was almost error-free. The goals conceded all came from unstoppable shots created by Viettel's strikers.

"We made many mistakes during the two-month break in the V.League for the National Team's participation in the 2024 AFF Cup. Song Lam Nghe An will train intensively. We are determined to overcome our shortcomings and will return stronger in the next stage of the season," Van Viet shared.

It can be said that, in contrast to Song Lam Nghe An's disappointing start, Van Viet is proving to be a rare bright spot for the Nghe An team. If the coaching staff can reform the defense in the near future, combined with Van Viet's excellent performance, Song Lam Nghe An may well escape its current crisis.

Not included in the AFF Cup squad.

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

At the training camp leading up to the AFF Cup, the Vietnamese national team had four goalkeepers: Nguyen Filip, Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, and Tran Trung Kien. These are all goalkeepers with good skills and have been in fairly stable form since the beginning of the season.

Above all, every coach has a different philosophy and way of using players, so Văn Việt's exclusion this time is not entirely unexpected. However, if he continues to perform well in the domestic league, the door to the national team remains wide open for goalkeeper Văn Việt.

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