SLNA - Dong Thap: Joy returns

(Baonghean.vn) – After a series of 5 matches without knowing the taste of victory, SLNA players as well as fans found joy again after the match against Dong Thap in round 11 of V.League 2016.

Coach Ngo Quang Truong of SLNA continues to be absent from the coaching bench due to punishment.

Compared to previous matches, SLNA had a notable change in the defense. Young center back Van Khanh sat on the bench, instead, to pair with Minh Duc was Que Ngoc Hai - a player who has recently played in midfield. Ngoc Hai also wore the captain's armband in this match due to the absence of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh.

Facing an opponent at the bottom of the rankings, SLNA did not hesitate to raise their attacking formation right after the opening whistle. Throughout the first half, the home team completely dominated the ball possession time. In particular, in the first 20 minutes of the match, many crosses from both sides were made by the yellow shirt players but they did not bring many dangerous scoring opportunities.

The home team's constant attacks kept Dong Thap's goal in a state of alarm.

After that, it seemed that SLNA's coaching staff had adjusted their playing style, focusing more on central attacks and that adjustment had quite positive results. In the 26th minute, from the middle of the field, Phi Son dribbled skillfully, rushed straight into the middle and then fired a very powerful shot, forcing goalkeeper Duc Anh to fly to block.

Phi Son is still the most active player on SLNA's side.

In the 33rd minute, the goal came to SLNA players. From the middle of the field, Khac Ngoc initiated an attack, then rushed down to receive a pass from Van Vinh, passed the ball to Odat, then turned the ball past a Dong Thap defender, missed goalkeeper Duc Anh and then gently finished into the empty net.

Midfielder Khac Ngoc (12) was the player who scored the opening goal.

The opening goal made SLNA players play with great excitement. Two minutes later, Phi Son fired a second powerful shot from outside the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Duc Anh to stretch as far as he could to push the ball out.

With a squad that did not have many quality players, Dong Thap's responses were very weak and they only knew how to defend in a tight group, causing SLNA goalkeeper Van Hung, in his first time on the field in the V.League, to have a rather leisurely working day.

In the 44th minute, the defense of the team from the swamp was once again broken by a central attack from the home team. Baba Salia received a pass from his teammate, calmly dribbled the ball and then shot past goalkeeper Duc Anh, raising the score to 2-0. This was the Ivorian player's second goal for SLNA.

Striker Odat played aggressively and created many dangerous opportunities but did not score any goals.

Entering the second half, the game still belonged to the home team, although Dong Thap tried harder in organizing attacks. Goalkeeper Duc Anh's goal was continuously threatened by the home team's shots. But it was not until the 70th minute that the home team's fans were able to celebrate again.

In the 65th minute, during a counter-attack, Odat ran down to face goalkeeper Anh Duc and was tripped in the penalty area. The referee awarded the home team a penalty and gave the Dong Thap goalkeeper a red card. Captain Que Ngoc Hai then defeated goalkeeper Khoa Dien who had just entered the field, raising the score to 3-0.

In the remaining minutes of the match, SLNA no longer maintained a strong attacking tempo but still created some dangerous opportunities thanks to the dynamism of Phi Son and the foreign pair Odat and Baba. However, no more goals were scored.

3-0 was the final score of the match.

With 3 points in this match, SLNA temporarily escaped the danger zone and has 14 points after 11 matches.

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