Song Lam Nghe An won 1 valuable point against Hanoi Police

The match between Hanoi Police andLam River Nghe AnRound 10 of V. League 2024/25 takes place on the evening of January 18 at Hang Day Stadium - Hanoi.

Hanoi Police Club has made a strong comeback after two defeats in early November 2024 against Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Ho Chi Minh City. Coach Mano Polking's team beat Binh Dinh 3-0 in the V.League before the 2024 AFF Cup break, then continued to defeat Slavia Praha in a friendly match. The momentum was maintained with a 2-1 victory over Kaya FC in the Southeast Asian Club Championship and a 2-1 victory over Hong Linh Ha Tinh in the National Cup, thereby reaching the quarterfinals.

On the contrary, Song Lam Nghe An has seriously declined with a loose defense (16 goals conceded after 9 matches) and a weak attack (5 goals scored). Although they just ended a 9-match winless streak by defeating Da Nang 1-0 in the National Cup, SLNA still finds it difficult to create a surprise against a Hanoi Police team that is in good form.

In order to achieve the goal of getting points at Hang Day Stadium, coach Phan Nhu Thuat launched a 4-2-3-1 formation, in which the central defender duo was taken care of by Zaracho and Le Van Thanh. Playing highest on the attack line was Kuku. In the middle were 5 midfielders: Dang Quang Tu, Van Bach, Manh Quynh, Long Vu and Dinh Xuan Tien.

Right after the opening whistle, Hanoi Police immediately deployed an active offensive strategy. Meanwhile, Song Lam Nghe An concentrated a large number of troops on their home field, choosing a defensive counter-attacking style of play to limit the pressure from coach Polking's players.

In the 4th minute, Hanoi Police created the first dangerous situation. Alan took a powerful shot from outside the penalty area after a lackluster clearance from Song Lam Nghe An's defense, but goalkeeper Van Viet promptly dived and successfully blocked the shot.

Despite having less possession, Song Lam Nghe An still knew how to find opportunities after sharp counter-attacks. And the surprise happened in the 15th minute, when Song Lam Nghe An scored a goal to take the lead. Taking advantage of Gomes' mistake on the right wing, Kuku took the ball and passed it across for Zaracho to finish close to the goal, putting the ball into the Hanoi Police net.

After the opening goal, Song Lam Nghe An proactively retreated deep, creating a tight defense system in front of Van Viet's goal. This caused Hanoi Police to face many difficulties in deploying an attacking style of play.

However, perseverance helped the home team equalize in the 42nd minute. From a free kick on the right wing, Leo Artur sent the ball into the penalty area, creating an opportunity for Hugo Gomes to finish close to the goal, leveling the score at 1-1.

And the score 1-1 was also the result in the first 45 minutes of the match.

In the second half, both teams played with high spirits and organized many dangerous attacks towards each other's goal. However, the disadvantage came to Song Lam Nghe An when Van Bach was sent off by the referee after kicking his opponent in the face.

Having to play with one less player, Song Lam Nghe An was under great pressure from the home team. In the 57th minute, Hanoi Police created a dangerous opportunity in front of the visitors' goal. Phan Van Duc broke through to the sideline and passed the ball out, Leo Artur placed the ball past goalkeeper Van Viet but Le Van Thanh was there at the right time to clear the ball right on the goal line.

In the final minutes of the match, Hanoi Police pushed almost the entire squad to find a goal, but Song Lam Nghe An played resiliently to win a valuable point on the away field.

Round 11, Song Lam Nghe An will meet Binh Duong at Vinh Stadium.