Phi Son shines, Song Lam Nghe An easily wins against Saigon

(Baonghean.vn) - Playing at home and having reasonable tactics helped SLNA have a good match against Saigon FC in round 20 of V.League.

The two teams started the match slowly. In the first 5 minutes, the ball only rolled in the midfield area. It was not until the 7th minute that the audience had a chance to cheer after a long-range shot by foreign player Olaha forced goalkeeper Duc An to push the ball out of the sideline, conceding a corner kick.

The game began to change, the tempo of the match was pushed up when SLNA players continuously organized attacks with the mobility of the quartet Phi Son - Olaha - Khac Ngoc - Kovacevic.

In the 14th minute, Phi Son dribbled the ball at speed, tore through the Saigon FC defense and unleashed a tricky left-footed shot, defeating goalkeeper Duc An to open the scoring. Just 2 minutes after scoring, the home team almost doubled the lead.

Phi Son had the ball near the left touchline in the direction of SLNA's attack, the ball from Phi Son's feet found Van Duc, after a turn, Van Duc crossed to Kovacevic who was in an open position. Unfortunately, the Monetegro striker's shot hit goalkeeper Duc An's hand from about 11m away.

After conceding the goal, the away team Saigon still could not approach goalkeeper Nguyen Manh's goal. Van Dai's penetrations or Van Trien's long-range shots either hit the SLNA defenders' feet or went off target.

On the contrary, the Vinh home team still dominated their opponents, creating a series of good chances but were regrettably squandered by Kovacevic, Van Duc... The Montenegrin striker had at least 2 situations facing goalkeeper Duc An on the away team's side, however, the 1991-born rookie's finishing shots were all too gentle.

Realizing that the home team's attack was playing in a deadlock, coach Nguyen Duc Thang of Saigon FC immediately sent foreign player Marcelo onto the field to replace midfielder Cong Thao, when the first half had just entered the 33rd minute. However, the adjustments of the former The Cong player did not work, SLNA was still the dominant team with many dangerous moves threatening goalkeeper Duc An's goal. The first half ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of the home team with Phi Son and his teammates having a superior game.

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's students celebrate Phi Son's goal. Photo: Canh Nam

After the break, coach Nguyen Duc Thang instructed his players to push their formation higher, in order to find an equalizer. That also meant that Saigon FC's gaps were exposed even more. In an unlucky afternoon, Phi Son, Olaha, and Kovacevic could not shake Saigon FC's net in very favorable situations. The developments in the first half of the second half were not much different from the first half, SLNA was still the team with the upper hand.

The most notable situations in the last 10 minutes of the match were 2 red cards for Saigon FC and 1 goal for the home team. In the 82nd minute, in a ball dispute, defender Quoc Long used his hand to hit the face of substitute player Xuan Manh, the main referee did not hesitate to pull out the second yellow card - synonymous with a red card for the Saigon FC player. In a situation of 10 against 11 with the home team, the team from the city named after Uncle Ho did not create clear opportunities towards Nguyen Manh's goal.

SLNA fans can be satisfied with the Nghe An team's streak of 3 wins and 1 draw in all competitions. Photo: Canh Nam

Even in the second minute of extra time, the away team had only 9 players left on the field after Van Trien was sent off by the referee for using his hand to block the ball from midfielder Olaha's shot. A penalty for SLNA and Olaha made no mistake in defeating goalkeeper Duc An, setting the score at 2-0 for the home team at Vinh Stadium. This victory will likely help SLNA move up a few places on the rankings, while also creating a mental springboard for coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team in the upcoming journey.

PV Group