U17 Song Lam Nghe An defeated U17 Hanoi, ranked first in the table after the first leg

Starting lineup of U17 Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Sy Hieu

U17Lam River Nghe Anand U17 Hanoi are considered the two strongest teams in Group B, as they both have a perfect record. Both teams are sharing the first and second place in this group. Before entering the 4th round of matches, U17 Song Lam Nghe An and U17 Hanoi both have 9 points. However, U17 Song Lam Nghe An is temporarily ranked above U17 Hanoi due to a better goal difference. Therefore, the confrontation between the two teams will decide the position on the rankings, after the end of the first leg of the 2023 National U17 Qualifiers.

Phung Van Nam played impressively before opening the score for U17 Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Sy Hieu

Entering the match, U17 Song Lam Nghe An entered the game more proactively than the opponent. The ball direction of coach Phan Tien Hoai's students mainly came from the two wings. However, with the majority of Hanoi players being arranged deep in their own half, U17 Song Lam Nghe An had difficulty approaching Dinh Hai's goal on the side of U17 Hanoi.

The joy of Phung Van Nam and his teammates after scoring a goal. Photo: Sy Hieu

Although U17 Song Lam Nghe An actively pressed the field, Hanoi was the team that had the first two dangerous shots of the match. From a counter-attack in the middle, the ball came to Xuan Toan's feet, this striker fired a shot, but the ball went off target. The second shot, with a similar scenario to the previous one, but this time Xuan Toan's shot missed Gia Huy's goal by a hair's breadth.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nghia - Deputy General Director of Song Lam Nghe An Club was present at Thanh Tri Stadium to encourage U17 Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Sy Hieu

In the 18th minute, U17 Song Lam Nghe An had a pretty standard attack in the middle, the ball was passed to Phung Van Nam, but the technical handling of this striker could not beat the opponent's defender, missing the opportunity to score for the team from Nghe An.

During more than half of the first half, U17 Song Lam Nghe An played a relatively diverse attack, with quite flexible movements without the ball of Trong Tuan, Quoc Hoa or Phung Van Nam. However, Hanoi showed the ability to organize a proactive defense, so there was not much space for Nghe An's strikers to finish.

Le Dinh Long Vu dribbled past the opposing goalkeeper and scored a goal to double the gap for U17 Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: Sy Hieu

By the 30th minute, it seemed like the goal was very close for U17 Song Lam Nghe An, but captain Trong Tuan's shot went straight to goalkeeper Dinh Hai.

However, the Nghe An audience present at Thanh Tri Stadium did not have to feel too regretful, because just over 5 minutes later, Phung Van Nam opened the score for U17 Song Lam Nghe An. The goal came from an attack in the middle, Tran Quoc Hoa passed the ball as if placing Phung Van Nam in an open position to easily score against Hanoi.

Entering the second half, U17 Hanoi proactively attacked to find an equalizer, but the attacks of coach Pham Minh Duc's students were often broken quite easily by U17 Song Lam Nghe An.

Le Dinh Long Vu takes off his shirt to celebrate after scoring against U17 Hanoi. Photo: Sy Hieu

In the 54th minute, Trong Tuan and Minh Hoi got injured, forcing coach Phan Tien Hoai to bring in Long Vu and Bui Thanh Duc to replace them. Losing captain Trong Tuan was a big loss for the Vinh team. Because this midfielder has a big influence on the way U17 Song Lam Nghe An organizes attacks.

As soon as he entered the field, Le Dinh Long Vu had a chance to double the gap for Song Lam Nghe An. However, the close-range shot of the U16 Vietnam player went high above the opponent's goal. Following that, Trong Son dribbled straight into the middle, then fired a powerful shot, but the ball did not hit Dinh Hai's goal.

After a series of missed opportunities, in the 82nd minute, Long Vu brilliantly doubled the gap for U17 Song Lam Nghe An. The goal came from a breakthrough in the middle of the field by Long Vu. This midfielder used his speed and technique to go past both the center back and the goalkeeper, before putting the ball into the empty goal.

In the final minutes of the match, although Song Lam Nghe An proactively slowed down the pace of the match, U17 Hanoi still could not organize attacks to get close to Gia Huy's goal.

With the victory over direct competitor U17 Hanoi, U17 Song Lam Nghe An has 12 points and is firmly at the top of Group B, after finishing the first leg of the 2023 National U17 Qualifiers.

Duc Anh