U17 Song Lam Nghe An won a ticket to the final round of the 2025 National U17 Tournament one round early
On the afternoon of September 5, at the PVF Youth Football Training Center, U17 Song Lam Nghe An had a rematch with U17 Thanh Hoa in the 2025 National U17 Tournament Qualifiers.
Before the round, U17 Song Lam Nghe An had 15 points after 8 matches, temporarily ranked second in group B. Right behind was U17 Thanh Hoa with 11 points. Therefore, the team of coach Hai Nam (SLNA) only needed 1 more point to secure a ticket to the final round.
In the first leg, the representative of Nghe An was held to a regrettable draw by the neighboring team when they created a series of opportunities but could not finish successfully, so experts assessed that coach Hai Nam and his team continued to be in the "upper hand". However, with the importance of the match, the U17 SLNA coaching staff chose the strongest lineup. The 4-4-1-1 formation was applied, with Van Sang playing the highest, supported by a midfield line including Minh Thuy, Huy Hoang, Minh Loi, Ngoc Son and Van Lam. The defense included Anh Duc, Thanh Cong, Van Tu and Dang Huy.
U17 Song Lam Nghe An only needed a draw to qualify for the next round, but they entered the game proactively. Coach Hai Nam's team increased the tempo and put great pressure on the opponent's field. The Nghe An players launched a diverse attack with many central attacks combined with drop passes to drop the ball behind the defense of U17 Dong A Thanh Hoa.
It was that way of playing that helped coach Hai Nam and his team score an early goal to take the lead in the 5th minute of the match. Starting from a series of passes in the middle, Viet Duy suddenly sent a pass that eliminated the opponent's defense, bringing the ball right into Van Sang's range. The striker wearing the number 22 shirt used his speed to eliminate the opponent's defender and then kicked the ball with the outside of his foot into the net of Thanh Hoa's goalkeeper, opening the score for U17 Song Lam Nghe An.
After the goal, U17 Song Lam Nghe An changed their tactics from attack to counter-attack. That slowed down the pace of the match and not many opportunities were created towards Thanh Hoa's goal. It was not until the last minutes of the first half that Ngoc Son or Van Sang found more opportunities in front of goalkeeper Tuan Vu (Thanh Hoa). However, luck was not on their side so the score of 1-0 ended the first 45 minutes of the match.
Entering the second half, U17 Song Lam Nghe An proactively retreated to maintain the score, this was the opportunity for Thanh Hoa to rise up. In the final minutes of the match, the team of coach Nguyen Ngoc Quy (Thanh Hoa) had 2 opportunities to equalize the score. However, Thanh Hoa lacked a bit of luck to score against Van Huy (SLNA). Therefore, the match ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of U17 Song Lam Nghe An.
This result helps U17 Song Lam Nghe An officially win a ticket to the final round of the 2025 National U17 Tournament one round early.