Goalkeeper Tran Van Tien: From 'substitute' to 'savior'

After Tran Nguyen Manh and Le Van Hung suffered injuries, the only “goalkeeper” position of SLNA left was Tran Van Tien who could put on his gloves and enter the field to compete against B.Binh Duong. Before the match, Nghe An fans felt uneasy with the appearance of “scrambling” Tien in the home team’s goal.

Since being promoted to the SLNA first team (2016), the 1994-born goalkeeper has only started 1 match at AFC, 1 match at the National Cup and 1 match at V.League (all in last season). Obviously, experience is a big problem for the goalkeeper from Do Luong. Don't forget, the goalkeeper position is the place that has to endure the most pressure and is most prone to mistakes. In football, there are many young goalkeepers whose talent has been stunted and disappeared because they could not stand the pressure of being promoted to the first team.

Goalkeeper Tran Van Tien in the match against B.Binh Duong. Photo: Trung Kien

Back to the story of Tran Van Tien. The performance of the goalkeeper from Do Luong in the match between SLNA and B.Binh Duong surprised everyone. Tien "lech" played confidently, entered and exited appropriately and chose the landing point in the aerial situations quite accurately. Without the excellence of the 25-year-old goalkeeper, the Nghe An team would have hardly been able to preserve the victory after a series of attacks by the visiting team B.Binh Duong.

The most notable save of Tran Van Tien in the last match was the quick and precise jump to block the dangerous shot of midfielder Vo Ngoc Tinh, which took place in the 89th minute. It is worth mentioning that before that, Tran Van Tien had suffered a minor injury. Due to not having a backup plan, the goalkeeper born in 1994 had to grit his teeth and play until the famous referee blew the final whistle. Although Olaha was voted "best player of the match", for many SLNA fans, Tran Van Tien is the "savior" of the Nghe An team.

Young goalkeeper Tran Van Tien also showed that he was not inferior. Photo: Duc Anh

The match between SLNA and B.Binh Duong ended, which was also the time when SLNA's coaching staff, Nghe An fans and Tran Van Tien himself breathed a sigh of relief. Not only because coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team won 3 valuable points, but also because of the impressive performance of the "substitute" - Tien "lech". Now SLNA's coaching staff and Nghe An fans can rest assured in case goalkeeper number 1 Tran Nguyen Manh and goalkeeper number 2 Le Van Hung do not play. Simply because Tran Van Tien is always ready to fight.

Sharing with Nghe An Newspaper, the 25-year-old goalkeeper said: “I am very happy to have contributed a small part to the victory of the home team. However, I am still not satisfied with my performance in the last match. There were some situations that I did not handle very well. I will definitely try to overcome those shortcomings so as not to disappoint the coaching staff, teammates and fans. In my mind, every time I go on the field, I will fight with all my might, in the true spirit of SLNA.”

It is known that at the end of the 2019 season, the contract between Tran Van Tien and his hometown team officially expired. To continue wearing the SLNA shirt, Tien "lech" must try harder. The opportunity is within reach of the goalkeeper from Do Luong. Hopefully, Tran Van Tien will always be the "savior" of SLNA in all situations./.

Thanh Hung