Song Lam Nghe An accepts to share points at Vinh stadium against Hanoi FC

Defender Dinh Hoang's goal in the first minutes of the match. Photo: Chung Le

The attraction of the two teams ranked first and second in the V.League 2022 rankings has left Vinh Stadium full of seats. Stand B is dyed in yellow and the cheering sounds create a passionate atmosphere in the fiery Vinh city. This is a great source of motivation for the two teams to show off all their strength.

Playing against Hanoi FC has never been easy for Song Lam Nghe An, when coach Chun Jeaho's squad has a series of great players such as: Doan Van Hau, Nguyen Van Quyet, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Mujan Tonci... It is even more difficult when standing in the goal of the home team without Nguyen Van Hoang. The goalkeeper position of Nghe An Club was replaced by Tran Van Tien. Besides, Phan Van Duc was also not in the starting lineup, replaced by young player Dinh Xuan Tien.

Despite the personnel disadvantage, the home field advantage helped Song Lam Nghe An control the game better in the first minutes of the match. The two wings were still the main attackers of the Nghe An team. The flexibility in the off-the-ball movements opened up many scoring opportunities for Song Lam Nghe An. Thousands of spectators in the stadium really felt regretful for Mai Sy Hoang's opportunity, in a position where no one was marking him, he shot over the bar. However, in the 7th minute, Dinh Hoang scored for Song Lam Nghe An. The goal came from Mario's very precise cross, allowing the defender wearing the number 66 shirt to penetrate the penalty area and cushion the ball at close range, defeating goalkeeper Van Cong.

Song Lam Nghe An players celebrate after taking the lead. Photo: Chung Le

After the goal, Coach Huy Hoang asked his players to play slowly and use defensive counter-attack tactics to wait for the opponent's weakness. On the other side of the front line, Hanoi FC tried to approach Song Lam Nghe An's goal with short passes. With that style of play, Coach Chun Jeaho's team put considerable pressure on Van Tien's goal. However, with Que Ngoc Hai's ability to predict, Van Khanh's agility made it difficult for the visitors' attack. The rare chance that the capital team had to cause danger came in the 26th minute of the match. Lucao fired a powerful shot from close to the 16m50 line, but could not defeat Van Tien.

The ability to break the pressing of coach Huy Hoang's students was also one of the impressive points in the first 40 minutes of the match. This helped Song Lam Nghe An create extremely sharp counterattacks. The clearest opportunity for Nghe An Club came in the 39th minute of the match. Dinh Xuan Tien had a bold breakthrough on the right wing. Facing the goalkeeper, he fired a dangerous shot but could not defeat Van Cong. The ball bounced to Oseni's feet at the near post but the kick of the striker wearing the number 91 shirt did not hit the center of the ball. In the first 45 minutes, Song Lam Nghe An demonstrated a reasonable playing style, thereby overcoming the strengths of the opponent.

Entering the second half, Hanoi FC proactively created pressure from the start. The opportunity was created by the away team in the 47th minute, Siladji received a pass from his teammate. However, Van Tien made a reasonable move to save Song Lam Nghe An.

Coach Chun Jeaho's team continued to show their ability to coordinate short distances in the middle of the field with great versatility. This style of play created many problems for Van Tien's goal. 2 delicious opportunities belonged to striker Lucao. However, the foreign player's shots could not defeat the yellow shirt defense.

In the second half, Xuan Manh and his teammates tried their best but could not help their team take the lead. Photo: Chung Le

Interspersed with the visitors' pressure were some sharp counterattacks from Song Lam Nghe An. Xuan Tien's outside-foot pass gave Oseni a chance to face the opposing goalkeeper. The striker wearing the number 91 shirt's technical shot defeated Van Cong but was denied by the crossbar.

Hanoi FC's ability to maintain tremendous pressure meant that Song Lam Nghe An could not maintain their lead. In the 70th minute, Thai Quy made an accurate pass for Lucao to face and unleash a tricky shot that defeated goalkeeper Van Tien. The match was brought back to the starting line.

In the final minutes, both teams were exhausted, so there were many mistakes in handling the ball and they did not pose much danger to each other's goal. In the end, Song Lam Nghe An had to accept a draw at Vinh Stadium.

In round 15 taking place on September 3, the Nghe An team will travel to meet the Dong A Thanh Hoa team.

Duc Anh