Squandering opportunities, SLNA shares points with Persija Jakarta

In the first minutes, SLNA played slowly and proactively gave up the game to the away team. In the 10th minute, after a well-coordinated play, the away team's number 28 had a chance to unleash a powerful shot near the 16m50 line but could not trouble Tran Van Tien, SLNA's young goalkeeper who had never been a starter.

SLNA’s next significant chances belonged to midfielder Phan Van Duc. Before that, this U23 star also created a stormy situation with a low shot from very far away but the ball also did not go on target.

Striker Michael Olaha is quite alone in the attack. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In the 40th minute, young goalkeeper Van Tien had to rush out very quickly to block the opponent's number 8 player. In this situation, if the SLNA goalkeeper had been a few beats slower, the SLNA goal would have been in real danger. The first half ended after Persija's foreign striker number 9 Marko Simicco shot into the sky in a comfortable position from a corner kick.

When the second half started for 7 minutes, Ho Khac Ngoc, the most important player of SLNA, made a beautiful pass for his teammate Ho Tuan Tai to leisurely run down to face the opponent's goalkeeper. However, the kick of striker number 10 of SLNA sent the ball flying over the bar, which was extremely regrettable. In the 56th and 61st minutes, Pham Xuan Manh and Phan Van Duc continued to have the opportunity to face the opponent's goal. Unfortunately, the shots of SLNA's strikers were all inaccurate.

Striker Ho Tuan Tai had a rather unlucky match. Photo: Thanh Cuong

After a counter-attack in the 62nd minute, Ho Sy Sam received a second yellow card from the referee, meaning a red card, after intentionally hugging and knocking down his opponent. With more players, the Indonesian team started to push up their formation and increase their attack tempo in an attempt to seize the opportunity to win.

Lacking players, SLNA's coaching staff was forced to pull Xuan Manh back to play left-back and only put Michael Olaha on the striker line. Thanks to that, SLNA still defended very well, played with concentration and did not forget to counterattack sharply.

SLNA had 17 shots and only 1 of them was on target. Photo: AFC

In the 83rd minute, the striker who entered the field in the second half, Ho Phuc Tinh of SLNA, fired a powerful and quite dangerous shot from a distance of more than 25m, the Persija goalkeeper had to dive to the maximum to save a goal. In the final minutes, the two teams had a lively exchange of attacks, causing trouble in front of each other's goal, but the dedication of the defense helped both sides' nets to be protected.

Minute 90 +3, was the last chance for SLNA to score but Phan Van Duc continued to miss. During a counter-attack, receiving a favorable pass from Olaha, Phan Van Duc comfortably fired a shot but the ball went over the bar.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw. This result helped SLNA maintain their unbeaten record after 3 matches in Group H of the AFC Cup 2018, not even conceding a single goal (7 points, goal difference: 4-0), thereby continuing to maintain the top position in the group.

Closing this match, 8 days later, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team will have a trip to visit the Gelora Bungkarno stadium of the host Persija Jakarta. And that is a real challenge and pressure for the Nghe team when the home audience of Persija Jakarta is extremely enthusiastic./.

Red card: Sy Sam 62'

Starting lineup:

Song Lam Nghe An: Van Tien - Xuan Manh, Ngoc Hai, Van Khanh, Sy Nam - Van Duc, Sy Sam, Khac Ngoc, Xuan Toan - Olaha, Tuan Tai.

Persija Jakarta: Ardhiyasa - Hehanusa, Abdurraman, Yagalo, Sofyan - Sute - Addison, Chand, Lestaluhu, Simanjuntak.