Song Lam Nghe An falls in Pleiku

In the second round taking place on the afternoon of September 20 at Pleiku Stadium, Song Lam Nghe An will travel to the mountain town to face the home team HAGL. This is considered to be a difficult match for coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team, because Song Lam Nghe An is currently being heavily affected by the storm of injuries and penalty cards.

Specifically, a series of key players such as Nam Hai, Ho Van Cuong, Khac Luong, Le Nguyen Hoang, Phan Ba ​​Quyen, and Zaracho could not participate in the match of round 2. This is a big headache for coach Pham Anh Tuan, because in his hands, only Van Binh, Le Van Thanh, Phan Van Thanh, Nguyen Mai Hoang, and Tran Dinh Hoang can play as central defenders.

In order to create stability in the playing style, the Nghe An coaching staff continued to choose the 3-4-3 formation to approach the match. In which, the 3 central defenders chosen by coach Anh Tuan in the starting lineup were Xuan Binh, Le Van Thanh and Vuong Van Huy; the wing duo was assigned to Bui Thanh Duc and Long Vu; the 2 central midfielders were Quang Vinh and Manh Quynh; Olaha and Ngo Van Luong were arranged to play as wingers; in which, Kuku played highest in the attack line.

On the other side of the front line, Hoang Anh Gia Lai deployed a lineup that was not much different from the one that won against Quang Nam. Key players such as Jairo, Quang Nho, Thanh Son, Ngoc Quang, Marciel, and Jeferson were all present from the start.

With high spirits and home field advantage, Hoang Anh Gia Lai quickly took the initiative and controlled the match after the ball started. In the first half of the first half, coach Vu Tien Thanh's team created a series of opportunities that could have scored against Van Viet (SLNA). However, the mountain town team was not lucky enough to take the lead.

Notably, in the 26th minute, Bao Toan (HAGL) dribbled very well on the left wing and crossed the ball in as if placing it, but inside Minh Vuong lost his position in a control situation.

After many diverse attacks, the mountain town team got what they needed in the 36th minute of the match. Notably, in this match, HAGL continuously used the "down the line, cross the ball into the penalty area" strategy and finally this plan was successful. After an overlapping situation on the left wing, Du Hoc made a high cross and Ngoc Quang jumped high to head the ball, making it difficult for Van Viet to handle, opening the score for the home team.

After the goal, HAGL proactively slowed down the match, giving control of the ball to SLNA. The away team pushed up their formation but the pressure was not enough to make HAGL's defense falter. In the first half's injury time, HAGL once again put the ball into goalkeeper Van Viet's net. However, referee Do Anh Duc determined that Ngoc Quang was in an offside position before kicking the ball into SLNA's net.

In the second half, Coach Pham Anh Tuan continued to ask his players to push up their formation to find an equalizer. However, the defense of the mountain town team played very tightly to successfully neutralize the attacks of Song Lam Nghe An.

Besides effective defense, the mountain town team also organized many sharp attacks.

In the 66th minute, Marciel had a favorable pass for Ngoc Quang to escape and face Van Viet's goal, but the HAGL midfielder could not beat the away team's goalkeeper. In the 74th minute, Quoc Viet continued to threaten Van Viet's goal with a close-range shot.

In the final minutes of the match, HAGL was the team that played better. In the 83rd minute, Thanh Son once again threatened SLNA's goal with a shot that went just wide of the post. After many efforts, HAGL was able to double the gap. In the 90+4th minute, Quoc Viet passed the ball just wide for Thanh Son to accurately place the ball past Van Viet, sealing a 2-0 victory for HAGL.

With 3 more points against SLNA, the home team has its second consecutive victory in V.League 2024/25. Coach Le Quang Trai's team continues to lead the table after this round./.

Duc Anh