Phi Son and the foreign players caused HAGL to suffer a heartbreaking defeat right on their home ground in Pleiku.

(Baonghean.vn) - Although SLNA didn't dominate the game at Pleiku Stadium, they were the team that capitalized on their opportunities to score the opening goal.

Immediately after referee Nguyen Hien Triet blew the opening whistle, HAGL players pushed their formation high into SLNA's half of the field. However,In the 39th minute, SLNA scored. After a long pass from a yellow-shirted player, the ball hit the back of defender A Hoang and bounced back perfectly to Phi Son, who was surging forward. Seeing that goalkeeper Van Tien had advanced high up the pitch, the "Vietnamese Ronaldo" executed a precise curling shot that found the back of the net against HAGL.

Having conceded a painful goal, the home team launched an attack. HAGL's efforts were almost rewarded when Chau Ngoc Quang unleashed a dangerous curling shot into the top corner of the net, but unfortunately, he couldn't beat the excellent goalkeeper Nguyen Manh. The first half ended with one goal in favor of the Nghe An team, and the game remaining fairly balanced.

The second half was not much different from the first 50 minutes; HAGL continued to press forward in search of an equalizer, while SLNA played tightly with quick counter-attacks. The cohesion of the trio Khắc Ngọc - Phi Sơn - Olaha repeatedly caused the home team's defense to falter. If striker Kovacevic had been more accurate with his close-range header in the 55th minute, SLNA could have taken a significant lead.

The match continued in a stalemate. HAGL kept pressing forward in attack, while SLNA defended very tightly. Cong Phuong, Van Toan, Minh Vuong... were tightly marked, and the home team's attacks were frequently thwarted from afar. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, HAGL dominated the game. Minh Vuong had at least two opportunities to equalize for his team. However, the midfielder's inaccurate touches prevented HAGL from scoring.

As time wore on, the players from Pleiku became increasingly impatient, making a series of misplaced passes. On the other side, SLNA demonstrated increasing resilience and composure as the game progressed. Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh had a relatively easier time than in the first half.

In the 81st minute, Mạnh Hùng took a dangerous free kick from outside the penalty area; if goalkeeper Văn Tiến hadn't made an excellent save, SLNA would have scored their second goal. Unable to score against goalkeeper Nguyên Mạnh, HAGL paid the price with a goal conceded in the 92nd minute, scored by foreign player Kovacevic.

The remaining time was not enough for HAGL to score a consolation goal, and the match ended with a 2-0 victory for Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team. This win helped SLNA end their streak of draws and losses at Pleiku Stadium over the past several years. With 3 points against HAGL, the Nghe An team has earned 27 points after 21 rounds and remains in 9th place in the standings.

Match statistics.

Reporters' Team