SLNA: Perfect couple Bruno - Van Duc

The public must still remember that before playing for SLNA, Brazilian striker F. Bruno once wished to “get the ball passed by Phan Van Duc to score a goal”! In round 1 and round 2, Bruno did not play, and in round 3, Bruno and Van Duc still had not really found each other. In round 4, Bruno found… Xuan Manh from a long pass with a good landing point to head the ball into the net.

And it can be said that in the 5th round of the away match at Hoa Xuan Stadium against Da Nang, Bruno and Van Duc really found each other, becoming the "perfect couple" for SLNA's spectacular comeback.

Foreign striker Bruno Henrique, despite missing early chances, still left an impression with his tactical vision and ability to create for his teammates. Photo: Phi Hai

After falling behind,SLNAcontinuously pressured the home team from all directions, including a very strange touch by Van Duc on the left wing, the ball found the head of Bruno who was waiting. Unfortunately, this lightning-fast move could not be converted into an equalizer as the home team's goalkeeper Tuan Manh caught it.

Exactly 30 minutes after conceding a goal and not long after the missed shot, both Bruno and Van Duc dropped deep to find the ball and it was Bruno's turn to "return the favor" by passing the ball to Van Duc, which was followed by a masterpiece that was replayed over and over again on television and never got tired of watching this top Vietnamese attacking midfielder!.

Not yet, in the 65th minute, Bruno created another assist for Van Duc's talent to be shown with a rainbow shot from the left wing, the ball hit the inside edge of the crossbar and flew into the net, surprising the players of both teams and the large audience watching the match live!

The back-and-forth performance of Bruno and Van Duc in the match was a new, interesting discovery about the playing style and the path to the opponent's goal of the teacher and students.Coach Ngo Quang Truong.

Of course, another foreign striker of SLNA, Peter, is not “extra” in all defensive and counter-attack situations of the team. This striker can hold the ball, can pass people well and accelerate to counter-attack and is “responsible” for exhausting the opponent.

Although lacking a bit of finesse in the final pass, lacking a good sense of goal compared to his compatriot Olaha before, Peter was retained by SLNA with the purpose of "shouldering" many tasks on the "far from the goal" side for the team. Taking on the role of striker but still not "scoring" or making any assists after 5 rounds is understandable and hopefully luck will come to him soon in the next rounds.

Not stopping there, Van Duc continued to be the one to score the winning goal 2-1 for the away team with a classy curling shot to the far corner of SHB Da Nang's goal. Photo: Phi Hai

SLNA's third foreign player, Jelik, also performed quite well in his return match against Hoa Xuan thanks to his aerial and interception roles. This player coordinated well with Van Khanh in organizing the marking as well as covering the two wings to stop the opponent. SLNA's goal in the 5th minute came from the wing... lacking Xuan Manh, which is a lesson that SLNA must learn from. Fortunately, in the second half, Quang Truong switched this position to Dinh Dong, and this veteran defender showed how important battle experience and will are in the moments when the opponent focused most of their firepower but could not penetrate this solid-than-steel blocker.

To be exact, SLNA’s comeback win over Da Nang was a great match for the whole team. This short article only hopes to elaborate on a story that SLNA has long been “considered” to have a problem with the quality of foreign players! SLNA’s two consecutive wins in round 4 and round 5 may have answered that question that many people are concerned about.

Surely this is good news when all the problems are solved, trust is regained, stars like Van Duc and Xuan Manh shine after a period of difficulties! The team is on the right track and the process of "overcoming difficulties" is getting smoother and more successful...