Thanks to Nhu Thuat's goal, SLNA secured all 3 points.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of January 11th, the V-League Eximbank 2014 officially kicked off. The earliest match took place at 3 PM at Cam Pha Stadium between the home team Than Quang Ninh and SLNA. With a solid playing style and a bit of luck, Coach Huu Thang's team secured all three points on their opening day.

Despite being a newcomer, Than Quang Ninh players started the match confidently at home. Hoping to secure points at home on the opening day of the season, coach Dinh Cao Nghia deployed two foreign players, Uche and Bruno, upfront.

In the opening minutes, the pace of the game was quite slow as the players from both teams seemed to be warming up. The passing combinations of both teams lacked precision. The poor condition of the Cam Pha pitch somewhat hampered the players' ability to showcase their skills.

The young SLNA players had a successful debut match of the 2014 season.

In the first half, the visiting team SLNA controlled possession and created more attacking opportunities. The two new foreign players, Edouard and Biyaga, played quite aggressively but lacked chemistry with the domestic players. Meanwhile, captain Cong Vinh dropped deep to support the defense and therefore didn't make much of an impression. SLNA's attacking moves lacked sharpness and unpredictability, failing to put pressure on the home team's goal.

Towards the end of the first half, Than Quang Ninh players gradually regained control of the game and played somewhat more dominantly than SLNA. Striker Uche and midfielder Peter had dangerous shots towards goalkeeper Nguyen Manh's goal, but they only resulted in sighs of disappointment from the home fans.

Joy has returned to the fans of Nghe An province.

In the second half, coach Dinh Cao Nghia continued to urge his players to push forward into SLNA's half. SLNA's central defenders, Manh Hung and Ngoc Hai, played quite focused, preventing the fast-paced attacks of Than Quang Ninh's forwards.

Faced with his players' stagnant performance, coach Huu Thang successively brought on The Nhat and Nhu Thuat to replace Quang Tinh and Khac Ngoc. This substitution helped SLNA play better and create more dangerous attacks.

Meanwhile, the home team remained determined to push forward. In the 68th minute, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by SLNA, Than Quang Ninh nearly scored after a dangerous cross from midfielder Minh Tuan.

Following this incident, coach Huu Thang had to go to the sidelines to remind the players to focus more.

With the match evenly contested, in the 75th minute, following a skillful dribble down the right wing, midfielder Phi Son crossed the ball into the box, and Nhu Thuat rose high to head the ball into the net, opening the scoring for SLNA, much to the delight of the yellow-clad fans present at Cam Pha Stadium.

Trailing at home, Than Quang Ninh players launched a fierce counter-attack, continuously creating strong pressure on the SLNA defense. In the 85th minute, Uche nearly scored when his shot hit the SLNA goalpost and bounced out.

With 5 minutes of added time, Than Quang Ninh players continued to relentlessly launch attacks in search of an equalizer, but against a solid SLNA defense and the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh, all efforts from the mining region's players were thwarted.

The confidence and effort of the Than Quang Ninh newcomers are commendable, but they still lacked the cunning to overcome the players from Nghe An. Despite not having a strong lineup and the newly joined foreign players not yet playing in sync, SLNA still showed their experience and composure.

With 3 points earned away from home on the opening day, the SLNA players will have more confidence and determination to conquer the 2014 season.

The 1-0 victory on the opening day against hosts Than Quang Ninh was a well-deserved reward for the efforts of coach Huu Thang's team and a morale boost that helps SLNA confidently conquer the 2014 season.

Duc Dung