Song Lam Nghe An won a resounding victory at Hang Day Stadium against defending champion Hanoi FC.

In the past, the rivalry between Hanoi FC and Song Lam Nghe An always brought many emotions to the viewers. Especially, the match in round 13 at Hang Day Stadium between these two teams with a lot of fate is even more attractive when both are in dire need of points to compete for a position on the rankings.

In the starting lineup of Song Lam Nghe An in this match, there were some small changes compared to the previous match, Van Lam was on the field from the beginning and played in the left midfielder position. Meanwhile, veteran Trong Hoang was pushed back to play in the right fullback position.

On the contrary, coach Bandovic did not hesitate to immediately send three new players Murzaev Mirlan, Jevtovic Milan, and Herlison Caion, who had just joined the Capital team in the mid-season transfer period, to play right from the start.

In this encounter, the determination of Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates received resonance from the large audience present in the stands of Hang Day Stadium. With such an important nature, as soon as the ball rolled, Song Lam Nghe An decided to push up their formation to play an open game with the defending champion Hanoi FC.

In the first minutes of the match, the right wing with the presence of Trong Hoang, Dinh Tien, Olaha along with the ability to advance of Que Ngoc Hai was chosen as the main attacking direction of the Nghe team. The 1-2 exchange between these players caused no small difficulties for Duy Manh and the central defenders of the home team. A notable situation occurred in the 6th minute, when Mai Sy Hoang took a corner kick on the left wing for Song Lam Nghe An, but Pham Tuan Hai headed the ball away when he retreated to support the defense.

However, with a very strong force, Hanoi FC quickly regained their rhythm and forced Song Lam Nghe An's formation to retreat deep to defend. The two new players Jevtovic Milan and Murzaev Mirlan continuously created many coordinated moves on the left wing quite well and rhythmically. In the 19th minute, Murzaev Mirlan made a delicate pass for Jevtovic Milan to cross, but goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet rushed out to close the angle in time.

After losing control of the game in the first few minutes, Hanoi gradually found gaps to approach Van Viet's goal. In the 24th minute, after a series of combinations in the middle, Bui Hoang Viet Anh received the ball in front of the Song Lam Nghe An penalty area. The player wearing the number 20 shirt decided to shoot with his left foot, but the ball went higher than Van Viet's goal.

In the opposite direction, Song Lam Nghe An used a defensive counter-attacking style of play and they also had some clear opportunities. In the 27th minute, Dinh Tien penetrated into the opponent's penalty area. However, this midfielder's kick went higher than Tan Truong's goal.

It must be admitted that, in the first 45 minutes, although Song Lam Nghe An did not cause many difficulties for Tan Truong, the Nghe An team played solidly and tightly, making it quite difficult for the home team to find a way into Van Viet's goal.

Entering the second half, Hanoi continued to maintain the initiative when controlling the game better than the away team. The ball rotation of coach Bandovic's students always had a high level of softness and flexibility. However, Captain Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates always maintained the necessary concentration to resolve. What Song Lam Nghe An is lacking in this match is a factor capable of organizing and passing the ball that can open up opportunities for the strikers above.

To improve this problem, coach Phan Nhu Thuat decided to send Xuan Tien onto the field to increase the attacking ability of Song Lam Nghe An. The appearance of the midfielder born in 2003 brought many improvements in the way the away team attacked. The strikers of Song Lam Nghe An had more of the ball to create pressure on Tan Truong's goal. In the 58th minute, Olaha confidently held the ball on the left wing, passing 2 opposing central defenders, but the striker's final kick went right into the position that Tan Truong had chosen.

However, the turning point of the match came in the 61st minute, when Xuan Tien shone brilliantly to bring the opening goal for Song Lam Nghe An. After receiving the ball from Soladio, Dinh Xuan Tien performed a solo move in the penalty area, completely eliminating the opponent's defense, before unleashing a tricky shot that tore the roof of the home team's net.

After creating a lead, coach Phan Nhu Thuat decided to use a defensive counter-attacking tactic. This way of playing was very effective when it brought 2 clear opportunities for Song Lam Nghe An, but unfortunately Soladio could not double the gap.

In the final minutes of the match, Hanoi put great pressure on Song Lam Nghe An's field. However, with a scientifically organized and tight defense, Bandovic's team could not find a way into Van Viet's goal. The score of 1-0 in favor of Song Lam Nghe An remained until the end of the match.

Despite the resounding victory over the defending champion, Song Lam Nghe An is still only ranked 9th on the rankings and cannot enter the group of 8 strongest teams after the end of phase 1 of V.League 2023. However, with this victory, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team will have a higher score than the teams in group B, thereby creating a big advantage in the race to avoid relegation.

Duc Anh