Song Lam Nghe An: The "extreme hardship" is over!
(Baonghean.vn) - Finally, the Nghe An team had their first victory at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2018, after defeating Hai Phong with a score of 1-0.
As soon as the referee's final whistle sounded, all SLNA members and Nghe An audiences present at Vinh Stadium burst into joy.
Since the 5-1 victory over B.Binh Duong in the second leg of the 2017 National Cup final by coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team, SLNA fans have had the opportunity to express such great joy.
How can they not be happy when they have waited for that for so long. Known as the “fire pot of Vinh”, SLNA has not had any victory as the home team in V.League this year. The 13th position on the rankings after 12 rounds (before the match against Hai Phong) is a terrible disappointment for SLNA and their fans.
Before entering the match with the port city team, not many people believed that Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates would win all 3 points. Even a draw would be too difficult a task for coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team. From the force, form to the head-to-head record between the two teams, SLNA is more or less inferior to the opponent.
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| SLNA (yellow shirt) is not rated as highly as Hai Phong (white shirt). Photo: Duc Anh |
Having to face an opponent considered a nemesis like Hai Phong (SLNA lost 5, drew 2 in the last 7 matches), in a situation where the squad is seriously damaged (Tran Nguyen Manh, Phan Van Duc... injured), the risk of defeat for the home team is quite clear. In short, SLNA is not rated as highly as the away team Hai Phong in terms of the ability to win this match.
However, things did not turn out as experts and fans had predicted. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team were the ones who had the joy of winning the match. Although they could not show their dominance over the port city team, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates still won a very valuable victory.
Midfielder Ngo Xuan Toan's goal in the 65th minute not only helped SLNA get 3 points, ending a 7-match winless streak against Hai Phong, but also ending a series of consecutive draws and losses (4 losses, 4 draws), especially ending a series of winless matches at Vinh Stadium in V.League 2018. This is an extremely important victory for the Nghe An team, both in terms of points and spirit.
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| Midfielder Ngo Xuan Toan (No. 27) scored a goal that relieved a lot of pressure in recent times. Photo: Duc Anh |
After losing to Hanoi FC in round 10 (1-2), a SLNA player revealed: “Continuously receiving disappointing results has made our mentality very heavy. Going into the match, we are afraid of losing, especially when playing at Vinh Stadium.”
Now that the psychology has been released, hopefully coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team will prove their inherent talent to help the team escape the danger zone.
There is a saying: “After the worst comes the best.” The victory over Hai Phong can be seen as a turning point marking the fact that the Nghe An team has overcome the “best” that has haunted them for so long./.