Thanh Hoa - SLNA: Heating up the North Central derby

(Baonghean.vn) - For many years now, the matches between FLC Thanh Hoa and SLNA, whether or not they are considered "match of the year" by Nghe An audiences, have always been heated.

Defender Dinh Dong, a former player of SLNA, is playing impressively for FLC Thanh Hoa.

Since 2009, the number of matches between the two teams is 14, SLNA won 7 matches, drew 3 matches and lost only 4 matches (scored 26 goals, conceded 13 goals). In the 7 losses above, Thanh Hoa lost 5 matches at Vinh Stadium and 2 matches at home.

Last year, SLNA won 4-0 in the first leg but the 1-2 loss in the second leg in round 19 of V-League 2015 was a sad memory for defender Manh Hung with an unforgettable red card when he received a second yellow card for player Le Van Tan. The equalizer was scored by Xuan Thang in the 21st minute from a beautiful header and opened the door for this young player to have a chance to play regularly.

The Duong is considered the link in SLNA's attack line, so we should focus on exploiting it.

Previously, in the A2 championship, the matches between Thanh Hoa Police and Nghe Tinh Provincial Team (the predecessor of SLNA) were always fierce. Both teams were considered “poor children” and played with great spirit, so they were always exciting both on the field and in the stands. Regardless of whether their favorite team was strong or weak, every year Thanh-Nghe fans traveled to the away stadium to cheer on their home team.

Traditionally, every year SLNA chooses a “bite-sized” opponent to play a match with all their might, previously The Cong, then SHB.Da Nang, HN.T&T or HAGL recently. In previous years, the derby matches with FLC Thanh Hoa were not really attractive partly because SLNA had other arch-rivals, while FLC Thanh Hoa’s aspirations were still modest. With limited funding, Thanh Hoa did not have many good foreign players, and domestic players did not have many stars.

This year, the investment has changed and the situation and position of the two teams have changed quite a bit. Having the trio of cars, cannons and horses Dinh Dong, Hoang Thinh and Van Binh, along with the return of the godfather Le Thuy Hai, has made FLC Thanh Hoa much stronger. It is not unreasonable that on the Thanh Hoa fan forum, the nickname RaumaxuThanh said, "This year, even if we win the derby, we will not be happy because we have used money to send Hoang Thinh and Van Binh to compete with the juniors Ngoc Toan and Khac Ngoc."

In the last two seasons, with the support of FLC Group, Thanh Hoa is having a real revolution on the field, from the stands, the coaching staff and the players. Even after the renovation, Vinh Stadium will hardly be comparable to Thanh Hoa Stadium, and the recruitment of players has also been renewed and has a clear purpose. Unable to implement the 3+1 formula, because Coach Huu Thang did not accept at the last minute, they took the trouble to invite veteran Le Thuy Hai to sit in the Technical Director's chair but in fact he is in charge of the team.

The goalkeeper position was assigned to Thanh Thang, who had already made a name for himself when playing for Hai Phong. The left wing, which was a weak point last season, was now reinforced by Mai Tien Thanh from B.Binh Duong. The team leaders also quickly naturalized the Dutch player Bakel, who is 1.91m tall, and successfully invited Ivan Firer to play the role of a ball carrier for striker Pape Omar.

FLC Thanh Hoa's playing style under the hands of "grass wizard" Thuy Hai has become soft and unpredictable because they have forward players with good individual skills such as Dinh Tung or Quoc Phuong. After only 7 matches, FLC Thanh Hoa won 5 and lost 2, earning 15 points and was assessed by experts as not yet fully demonstrating their strength, but it is enough to give all teams participating in the V-League the necessary respect.

The match with Thanh Hoa is awaited by Nghe An audiences and is considered one of the "matches of the year".

Returning to the derby, Thanh Hoa fans all agreed that after many years of stepping up to the professional football league, Thanh Hoa had escaped the shadow of SLNA. In fact, at home, after the infamous 2-3 loss on July 13, 2011 with the “Made in LeThuyHai” substitution, Thanh Hoa did not lose to SLNA.

This time, SLNA came to the away field as underdogs, while the home team welcomed their neighbor Nghe An with the desire for 3 points to complete the mission of catching up and surpassing Hai Phong to become the champion of the season. Usually, Nghe An players ask not to play, or play badly when returning to Vinh Stadium, but this time Thanh Hoa fans are confident that the trio of chariots, cannons and horses will play well when meeting SLNA at Thanh Hoa Stadium, especially Dinh Dong who just excelled in the match against HAGL.

But most of the Nghe An audience, those who love SLNA, do not want to believe that! Perhaps that is why the derby will heat up, if not in the stadium then in the stands.

N@T