Squandering opportunities, SLNA and B. Binh Duong share points at Go Dau Stadium

(Baonghean.vn) - Playing a tight defense but limited and quite deadlocked in finishing made SLNA only able to leave B. Binh Duong's field with a draw.

In the first minutes, SLNA entered the game quite cautiously, while the home team B. Binh Duong only had a few unclear opportunities. However, from the 20th minute onwards, SLNA suddenly accelerated and continuously had situations of pressing the field. Without Khac Ngoc, the Nghe An team still had the explosive Phi Son. He was the player who created the most dangerous opportunity from the beginning of the match with a delicate pass to striker Danko Kovacevic facing goalkeeper Tan Truong in the 29th minute. Unfortunately, the Montenegrin striker did not have time to finish.

Phi Son played aggressively among the opposing players. Photo: Hoai Hoan

In the 33rd minute, Binh Duong's top scorer Anh Duc responded with a shot that went just wide of the crossbar from a seemingly harmless move. The next notable opportunity came in the 36th minute when Que Ngoc Hai took advantage of a free kick, shot straight into the top corner and needed only a little bit of luck to open the score for SLNA.

With a beautiful grass field, SLNA was relatively successful with a close-quarters play and quick, tight coordination when in possession. At the end of the first half, coach Tran Binh Su of B. Binh Duong promptly added a foreign striker, Dugary, to replace the lackluster player Hoai Nam. However, in the first 45 minutes, no opportunities were realized into goals for either team.

In the second half, B. Binh Duong clearly showed their intention to play offensive with a formation of 3 strikers Anh Duc, Dugary and Pereira Junior. Therefore, it was not surprising that Nguyen Manh's goal was immediately put in a state of alarm. In the 48th minute of the match, luck was on SLNA's side when striker Anh Duc missed the ball when facing Nguyen Manh. A few minutes later, Nguyen Manh made an excellent save for his team when he reacted promptly to Dugary's direct shot before Van Khanh could retreat to cover Hoang Max's next shot in the penalty area.

Striker Phan Van Duc was brought in for Danko in the second half, who played rather poorly. Photo: Hoai Hoan

When foreign player Danko failed to leave an impression, coach Duc Thang had to send striker Ho Phuc Tinh onto the field from the 60th minute. Although SLNA actively played close, the home team was the one who received 3 yellow cards. Midfielder Tran Phi Son was the victim of fouls from B. Binh Duong. After Phuc Tinh entered the field, SLNA suddenly accelerated. In the 68th minute, The Cuong almost made Tan Truong pay the price from a corner kick by SLNA. His header only sent the ball wide of the empty goal. A few minutes later, SLNA reinforced the attack by taking The Cuong out to make way for Phan Van Duc.

In the following minutes, when their physical strength had decreased, both teams played a rather dull and deadlocked style of play. The home team B. Binh Duong chose long balls, while SLNA played solidly in their home field, waiting for the opportunity to counterattack. When there were only 3 minutes left in the match, Thanh Phong was sent in to replace Van Vinh. At the same time, SLNA suddenly pushed up their formation to put pressure on the opponent's field. However, the lack of agility and limited finishing ability of both teams caused the match to end without any goals being scored.

A 0-0 draw was only enough to help SLNA temporarily maintain 9th place on the rankings with 21 points before returning home to welcome Quang Nam in the National Cup Quarterfinals taking place on September 27.

Trung Kien