Looking back at SLNA's loss to Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Before meeting SLNA, Ba Ria - Vung Tau was considered an interesting unknown of the season. The team led by coach Tran Minh Chien defeated Ho Chi Minh City Club 2-0 in a practice match and won Saigon Club 2-1 in the Qualifying Round. Without foreign players, SLNA was only the third defeat of this team. This reflects that, although it is just a newly promoted team to the First Division, Ba Ria - Vung Tau is very strong.

On the SLNA side, the Nghe An team's defense, especially the central defenders, had an unsuccessful day. Captain Hoang Van Khanh was injured, and the central defenders The Nhat - Ba Sang did not have the necessary understanding to command the defense. And this was also only the first time Thai Ba Sang was given the opportunity to start for SLNA.

Throughout the first half, Ba Ria - Vung Tau were the better players. And the goal conceded came from the constant pressure created by the away team. This goal showed that goalkeeper Van Hoang's ability to come and go is still an inherent weakness. In the 2 matches in V.League against Saigon as well as the practice matches, Van Hoang showed good reflexes but the goalkeeper born in 1995 still had errors in choosing a position.

Ba Vi - Vung Tau Club caused a lot of difficulties for SLNA in the first half. Photo: Duc Anh

When conceding the first goal, Coach Quang Truong was forced to put Phan Van Duc on the field early to change the situation and got an equalizer from Ho Tuan Tai. Accordingly, SLNA's real problem is not only in the defense, but in the central midfield. This was predicted before the season even started.

When Dang Van Lam was put on the field to replace Ho Phuc Tinh, the Nghe An team played with 1 striker, Ho Tuan Tai, and 3 central midfielders, including Quang Tinh, Van Lam, and Dinh Chau. However, his declining physical strength caused Quang Tinh to almost disappear in the second half. Midfielder Van Lam had a day to forget when he made too many wrong passes, whether they were short, medium, or long-distance passes.

After this defeat, SLNA's coaching staff will have to focus on solving the problem in the midfield. With more intense and fierce matches in the V.League, the central midfield of the Nghe An team will certainly be a weak point. Without a conductor to hold the ball and control the tempo of the match like Khac Ngoc, SLNA will not be able to attack as desired. As usual, SLNA used a lot of crosses from the wings and were all neutralized by the Ba Ria - Vung Tau defense.

Only when Phan Van Duc entered the field, SLNA played better attack. Photo: Duc Anh

In this match, SLNA used the maximum of 5 substitutions. Notably, Van Viet, who was in the starting lineup for the first time, had to leave the field because he had not completed his task. To be fair, Ba Ria - Vung Tau were the better players in the half, but even though SLNA lost on penalties, there were still certain bright spots.

That was the equalizer with a very neat combination in the middle area and the finisher was Ho Tuan Tai. This year's SLNA striker received a lot of expectations and this goal will more or less help him get excited and have the feeling of scoring when returning to the V.League arena.

Very few SLNA players played well in the loss to BR-VT. Photo: Duc Anh

In addition to Phan Van Duc, another player who was brought in from the bench, Tran Ngoc Anh, played quite well, continuously attacking and defending, and had dangerous counterattacks. In fact, this was a very trying match for the young SLNA players, but it was clear that the BR-VT defense played very disciplined and tight.

It seems that SLNA has not yet had the best preparation for the return of V.League 2020. However, the loss to Ba Ria - Vung Tau could be a "cold shower" for the Nghe An team to have the best concentration for the upcoming match against SHB Da Nang. With the return of 3 foreign players, Phan Van Duc and captain Hoang Van Khanh, hopefully coach Ngo Quang Truong and his team will show a different look.

Coach Tran Minh Chien (Ba Ria - Vung Tau Club): I have never won against SLNA

“I have been a guest at Vinh Stadium 2-3 times, I have never tasted the feeling of victory. This is the first time I have won against SLNA. Before meeting SLNA, we did not think we could win because we were missing 2 key players due to injury. Our players entered the match with a very relaxed spirit. If we lose to a V.League team like SLNA, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

When SLNA put Phan Van Duc on the field, I started to feel worried. He had just returned, his physical condition was not really good but his influence on the playing style was huge for SLNA. With other coaches, they would not let Que Ngoc Manh or Nguyen Huu Tuan play because SLNA is their hometown team. If they don't play well, it will be a bad reputation, but I still trust them, giving them the opportunity to show off to their friends at SLNA."

Song Lam Nghe An eliminated from National Cup by First Division team

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite playing at home, SLNA was still eliminated from the National Cup by the lower-ranked team Ba Ria - Vung Tau.