Song Lam Nghe An won against Nam Dinh at Thien Truong Stadium

Going into this match, Nam Dinh and SLNA are in opposite situations. While the home team, Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City are the 3 teams at the bottom of the rankings, SLNA is only behind the 2 "giants" Hanoi and HAGL.

In round 11, before this match took place, both Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City had lost and that was an opportunity for Nam Dinh to break away from the bottom group if they won. SLNA will also have a chance to improve their position when the two opponents above, Hanoi and HAGL, clash with each other.

Song Lam Nghe An's starting lineup. Photo: Chung Le

In this match, SLNA continued to be without the service of Nigerian striker Olaha due to suspension. Mario Arques - the Spanish player who just signed a contract with the Nghe An team was immediately put in the starting lineup. The home team had the service of 3 foreign players: Fagan, Santana, Mansaray and their best domestic players: Dinh Xuan Viet, Dinh Viet Tu, Pham Manh Hung, Mai Xuan Quyet...

The match started quite openly. Nam Dinh entered the match with determination while SLNA also did not hide their ambition to win 3 points at Thien Truong Stadium.

After about 10 minutes of probing, the away team started to speed up. The presence of new player Mario Arques helped SLNA control the midfield well and from there, overwhelm the home team.

Spanish rookie Mario Arques (number 68) was soon in SLNA's starting lineup and had a very positive performance. Photo: Chung Le

In this match, the most active player on SLNA's side was Phan Van Duc. In the 17th minute, this player skillfully eliminated a Nam Dinh player before taking a very tricky shot to the far corner, but unfortunately the ball missed the post by a hair. In the 40th minute, receiving a long pass from center-back Que Ngoc Hai, Phan Van Duc escaped to finish at a tight angle, but the ball once again missed the Nam Dinh goal.

Phan Van Duc (number 20) is the most active player on SLNA's side. Photo: Chung Le

In between Phan Van Duc's scoring opportunities in the first half, foreign striker Oseni also had a chance to put his name on the scoreboard in the 18th minute when he broke free and fired a diagonal shot that defeated goalkeeper Xuan Viet but the ball did not go into the net.

SLNA's foreign striker Oseni had a chance to score in the first half but failed to capitalize. Photo: Chung Le

During the first half, the home team Nam Dinh only created one scoring opportunity when from a corner kick, unfortunately Mai Xuan Quyet failed to head the ball high, then Mansaray rushed in but could not put the ball into the net.

Before the end of the first half, SLNA made an unexpected substitution when central defender Thai Ba Sang was injured and had to give way to Hoang Van Khanh. The two teams entered the break without any goals being scored.

SLNA fans cheer for their favorite players in the stands of Thien Truong Stadium. Photo: Hai Hoang.

In the first minutes of the second half, SLNA continued to play better, but their finishing was still not accurate. The speed of the match was pushed up a bit compared to the first half, but the goal still did not come as the strikers of both teams showed no luck in front of the goal. National player Phan Van Duc continued to show positive performance in the attack but his powerful shot in the 63rd minute was pushed out by goalkeeper Mai Xuan Viet.

Tran Dinh Tien celebrates scoring a goal for Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Chung Le

It was not until the 68th minute that the Nghe An fans present at Thien Truong Stadium burst into joy. After many well-coordinated moves, the ball reached Tran Dinh Tien and the SLNA midfielder number 15 fired a shot from a distance of 25m, the ball went strong and dangerous, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Dinh Xuan Viet and flew into the net. The score was 1-0 for SLNA.

In the following minutes, Nam Dinh tried to push up their formation, attacking to find an equalizer, but their attacking combinations lacked sharpness and were easily broken. On the other hand, although the team's most important player, Phan Van Duc, had to leave the field due to injury, SLNA still played solidly and maintained their lead until the last minute of the match.

With a 1-0 victory over Nam Dinh, SLNA temporarily took 2nd place from HAGL before the highland team visits Hanoi tomorrow. Meanwhile, Nam Dinh is still stuck in 11th place on the rankings.

In the next round, SLNA continues to play away, against a strong team, Viettel.

Minh Quan