Song Lam Nghe An held to a draw on coach Pham Anh Tuan's debut day
(Baonghean.vn) - In the debut match of coach Pham Anh Tuan in round 18 of V.League 2023/24 taking place at Vinh Stadium, Song Lam Nghe An still could not find victory against Ho Chi Minh City Club.
Before entering the 18th round of V.League 2023/24 to meet Ho Chi Minh City Club, Song Lam Nghe An lost 0-1 to Hoang Anh Gia Lai. With that loss, the Vinh home team had to go through 9 matches without knowing the taste of victory. Currently, the Nghe team is in the second to last position in the rankings and is 5 points behind the team right above. In order to "change the fortunes" of the club, Song Lam Nghe An decided to "change the general" right before welcoming Ho Chi Minh City Club at Vinh Stadium.
To maintain hope of avoiding the Play-off ticket, Song Lam Nghe An needs a victory against the “Red Battleship”. To realize this goal, coach Pham Anh Tuan has made some small changes in the starting lineup compared to his predecessor.
Accordingly, striker Phan Xuan Dai was pulled back to play in the right midfielder position. Meanwhile, Ngo Van Luong was arranged by coach Pham Anh Tuan to play as a striker pair with foreign player Olaha. In addition, Quang Vinh and Ba Quyen will play in the center of midfield, Manh Quynh will play as a left midfielder.
On the other side of the battle line, Ho Chi Minh City Club has a full force with pillars such as: Patrik Le Giang, Brendon Lucas, Tung Quoc, Huy Toan, Vinh Nguyen, Timite, Patino....
Despite playing at home and being in a desperate need for points, Song Lam Nghe An still did not risk pushing their squad high from the start. Instead, coach Pham Anh Tuan's team proactively played slowly, controlled the ball firmly, and waited for the opponent to make a mistake.
It wasn’t until the 9th minute that Song Lam Nghe An started to build up their attacks to get closer to Patrik Le Giang’s goal. Manh Quynh made a breakaway on the left wing, but the midfielder’s pass didn’t reach Olaha.
3 minutes later, Xuan Dai had a chance to cause trouble for Patrik Le Giang's goal, but number 21's shot was blocked by the opposing defender.
Unable to penetrate the opponent's net, Song Lam Nghe An pushed up their formation, forcing Ho Chi Minh City Club to retreat deep to defend. However, the home team did not push the match speed too high, so it did not create many dangerous opportunities in front of Patrik Le Giang's goal. The first 45 minutes ended without either team finding the other's net.
In the second half, Song Lam Nghe An suddenly slowed down, which helped the away team create 2 consecutive opportunities to score against Van Viet's goal. However, both Vinh Nguyen and Huy Toan's face-to-face shots could not defeat Song Lam Nghe An's number 1 goalkeeper.
Also after the visitors' attacks, coach Pham Anh Tuan's team woke up and fought back stronger.
In the 55th minute, from Mai Sy Hoang's cross, Phan Xuan Dai ran in to score, but the midfielder's touch sent the ball hitting the crossbar. Three minutes later, Quang Vinh had another chance to score, but the midfielder's close-range shot was inaccurate.
Not stopping there, in the 63rd minute, Manh Quynh received a reasonable pass from his teammate, but the player wearing the number 11 shirt lacked the strength to overcome Patrik Le Giang.
In order to strengthen the defense and bring stronger attack to the home team, coach Pham Anh Tuan decided to send Nam Hai, Xuan Tien, and Long Vu onto the field to replace Van Thanh, Xuan Dai, and Van Luong.
The presence of these players has brought a new breeze to Song Lam Nghe An.
In the 84th minute, from a set-piece free kick, Mario Zebic's shot was right on target, but the central defender's shot could not beat goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang.
In the final minutes of the match, the home team tried their best but still could not find a way into the Ho Chi Minh City Club's goal. Therefore, the final result of the match was a 0-0 draw.
Round 19, Song Lam Nghe An will continue to play at home to welcome the bottom team Khanh Hoa.
