Song Lam Nghe An shares points with Viettel on the opening day of V.League at Vinh Stadium
(Baonghean.vn) - Despite playing with mostly young players in the squad, Song Lam Nghe An still created a pretty good game against Viettel. However, the Nghe team still had to share points at home on the opening day of V.League 2023/2024.
Facing Viettel has never been easy for Song Lam Nghe An. In the last 5 meetings, the Nghe An team only drew and lost to the Soldiers Club.
In this encounter, Song Lam Nghe An is considered to be at a disadvantage when the team's pillars from last season have found new destinations. Currently, more than half of the Vinh team's playing squad is under 21 years old. Therefore, many experts believe that coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team will find it difficult to win the maximum number of points in the opening match of the new season.
Also in the confrontation at Vinh Stadium in round 1 of V.League 2023/2024, Nghe An audiences are eagerly waiting for the debut of the rookie.John Cley, has just transferred to Song Lam Nghe An from Hanoi Police. However, due to the urgent time, the Brazilian striker has not been able to join the Nghe team to welcome Viettel.
Thus, in this match, Song Lam Nghe An only played with 2 foreign players including Mario as a center back and Olaha as a striker.
Besides, veteran Trong Hoang also could not play due to injury, the replacement player was young defender Vuong Van Huy. In addition, Dinh Xuan Tien was also not in the starting lineup, Van Bach was the player chosen by coach Nhu Thuat.
On the other hand, midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc - Viettel's most notable star - was not registered by coach Thach Bao Khanh to play. However, the army team still has many other outstanding players such as Phan Tuan Tai, Nham Manh Dung, Duong Van Hao...
In the first minutes of the match, the game was quite balanced between the two sides, the ball was mainly circulated by the two teams in the midfield area. However, the surprise came in the 8th minute of the match when Viettel scored the opening goal to take the lead. From a corner kick on the right wing, the ball went through the forest of legs of the Song Lam Nghe An player, finding the position of Nguyen Duc Chien. Viettel's captain had no difficulty in accurately cushioning the ball into the net, breaking the deadlock.
However, just 6 minutes later, Song Lam Nghe An brought the match back to the starting line. From a lightning counterattack on the right wing, Olaha used his speed to get past the away team's central defender before sending a pass inside to Manh Quynh. The midfielder wearing the number 11 shirt handled the ball reasonably and kicked dangerously, defeating goalkeeper Van Phong.
After the score was equalized, Song Lam Nghe An's fighting spirit rose, coach Nhu Thuat's students continuously organized sharp attacks. In the 22nd minute, Olaha got the ball in the middle and fired a powerful shot. However, Van Phong played with concentration to successfully neutralize it.
The remaining time of the first half witnessed the smooth passing of the players of Song Lam Nghe An. This is also the reason why the stands of Vinh Stadium often resounded with applause from the fans praising the home team's players.
Entering the second half, Song Lam Nghe An continued to maintain the way of playing as previously established. Therefore, despite playing with a youthful squad, the home team Vinh still regularly threatened Van Phong's goal.
In the 50th minute, from a combination in the middle, Olaha had a chance in front of the opponent's goal, but the striker's shot could not defeat goalkeeper Van Phong.
By the 63rd minute, it seemed like Song Lam Nghe An had raised the score to 2-1, but Olaha's close-range shot once again failed to score against Viettel.
Not accepting a draw on the opening day, coach Phan Nhu Thuat decided to send young star Dinh Xuan Tien onto the field to replace Van Bach. In addition, Nam Hai was also given a break, and Phan Ba Quyen took his place.
These reinforcements opened up many scoring opportunities for Song Lam Nghe An in front of Viettel's goal. However, Olaha and his teammates missed too many opportunities, causing the opening match to end in a 1-1 draw.
On October 28, in round 2 of V.league 2023/2024, Song Lam Nghe An will travel to Ha Tinh to meet host Hong Linh Ha Tinh.
