Song Lam Nghe An wins in a crucial six-point match.
Song Lam Nghe An defeated Hai Phong in the 13th round of the V-League 2024/25, held at Vinh Stadium on the evening of February 15th. This was considered a six-point match for the winning team.
After the defeat against Hanoi FC in round 12,Lam River, Nghe AnReturning to second-to-last place in the V-League 2024/25 standings, coach Phan Như Thuật's team has only managed 1 win, 6 draws, and 5 losses. If they don't improve their ranking, Song Lam Nghe An faces the risk of being relegated to the First Division for the first time.
Meanwhile, Song Lam Nghe An's opponent in round 13, Hai Phong, is not in a much better position. The team from the port city is ranked just above Song Lam Nghe An and is only 2 points ahead of the home team. If coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team wins, they will move up to replace Hai Phong.
Therefore, the final match of the first half of the season at Vinh Stadium is considered extremely important in the journey to secure a place in the league for both teams, and is likened to a six-point match for the winning team.
Given the importance of the match, coach Phan Như Thuật decided to revamp the lineup compared to the previous round.
In this lineup, the attacking spearhead Olaha will not start, with Dinh Xuan Tien playing as an attacking midfielder supporting Kuku. The midfield will consist of: Van Bach, Quang Vinh, Manh Quynh, and Long Vu.
A slight disadvantage for the home team in Vinh is that Van Khanh will be unavailable due to a suspension of three yellow cards. Le Van Thanh will replace him. Therefore, the defensive quartet will consist of: Vuong Van Huy, Le Van Thanh, Zaracho, and Tran Dinh Hoang.
With the home advantage and a determination to secure all three points, as soon as the opening whistle blew, Song Lam Nghe An quickly pushed their formation forward to put pressure on Hai Phong's half of the field.
And in the 4th minute of the match, Song Lam Nghe An had their first dangerous opportunity. From a through ball by Manh Quynh from the midfield area, Long Vu raced down past goalkeeper Dinh Trieu and unleashed a shot towards the opponent's goal. However, a Hai Phong defender quickly cleared the ball off the goal line, resulting in a corner kick.
Not stopping there, in the 20th minute, from an attack down the right flank, Van Huy delivered an accurate cross to Xuan Tien, but from a distance of over 10 meters, the midfielder wearing number 9 sent the ball over the crossbar.
For the first 20 minutes of the match, Song Lam Nghe An displayed a fairly diverse attacking style. The right wing, featuring the young duo Long Vu and Van Huy, was chosen as the main attacking force. Unfortunately, the team from Nghe An lacked a bit of sharpness in the final touches to find the back of the net against Dinh Trieu.
After several missed opportunities, in the 41st minute, Song Lam Nghe An finally broke the deadlock. From a through ball by Manh Quynh, Xuan Tien sprinted down the field and skillfully flicked the ball with the outside of his foot, leaving goalkeeper Dinh Trieu helpless as the ball went into the net, giving the home team the lead.
This was also the final score at the end of the first 45 minutes of the match.
Entering the second half, Song Lam Nghe An continued to maintain the same enthusiasm as in the first half. This helped the home team in Vinh continue to create dangerous opportunities towards the opponent's goal. In the 48th minute, Dinh Hoang made a through pass to Long Vu. The midfielder wearing number 38 raced down to face the goalkeeper and took a skillful shot, but unfortunately, the ball hit the post.
As the second half drew to a close, coach Phan Như Thuật decided to adopt a defensive counter-attacking strategy. To make this tactic effective, the coach from Nghe An province brought Olaha and Hồ Văn Cường onto the field to replace Xuân Tiến and Mạnh Quỳnh.
This change created some sharp counter-attacks for the home team. Notably, in the 71st minute, Ho Van Cuong made an run down the right wing and passed the ball back to Olaha. The number 7 striker then played a well-placed pass to Kuku, but the number 10 player lacked a bit of concentration to pose a threat to Dinh Trieu's goal.
.jpeg)
In the final minutes of the match, Hai Phong increased the pressure and managed to put the ball into Song Lam Nghe An's net. However, after checking VAR, the referee ruled that the Hai Phong player was offside and disallowed the goal for the visiting team.
.jpeg)
That was also the last dangerous situation of the match. With a 1-0 victory, Song Lam Nghe An has moved out of the second-to-last position in the league table.
