Song Lam Nghe An received the first defeat of the season against Dong A Thanh Hoa.
(Baonghean.vn) - Competing at Thanh Hoa Stadium in round 3 of V.League 2023/2024, Song Lam Nghe An could not create any surprises and had to accept defeat with a score of 1-3. This was also the first loss of coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his team this season.
After 2 draws, Song Lam Nghe An entered the 3rd round of V.League 2023/2024 to compete with the home team Thanh Hoa. This is expected to continue to be another difficult match for coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his team becauseLam River Nghe Anis facing a storm of injuries. Among them are important players such as veteran Trong Hoang, center back Ho Khac Luong, midfielder Dang Van Lam, midfielder Le Van Quy, striker Ngo Van Luong. To overcome these disadvantages, coach Phan Nhu Thuat has put together a lineup with some changes compared to the previous 2 matches. Specifically in defense, Le Van Thanh is arranged to play in the right center back position with Mario Zebic and veteran Tran Dinh Hoang.
In the anchor midfielder position, the two players Tran Nam Hai and Phan Ba Quyen were not in the starting lineup, and were replaced by Bui Dinh Chau. The central midfielder pair, as usual, were Tran Manh Quynh and Nguyen Van Bach.
In particular, fans eagerly awaited the debut of rookie Raphael Success. Before the match, this player set a goal to score for his new team, if given the opportunity to play by the coaching staff of Song Lam Nghe An. Success and Olaha were arranged by coach Phan Nhu Thuat to play highest on the attack line of Song Lam Nghe An.
In the opposite direction, Thanh Hoa took the field with their best force. Notably, striker Rimario continued to play the role of the main explosive force in the home team's attack.
True to the nature of a Thanh - Nghe derby, both teams entered the match with a fierce style of play. As usual, Rimario was considered a dangerous striker for the opposing defense. And it was this striker who opened the score for Thanh Hoa in the 6th minute of the match. The goal came from a careless pass from Tran Dinh Hoang, forcing Van Viet to foul Rimario in the penalty area. Referee Nguyen Trung Kien immediately blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. On the penalty spot, the striker wearing the number 11 jersey of Thanh Hoa kicked the ball into the net of the goalkeeper of Song Lam Nghe An.
Not stopping there, in the 18th minute, Dong A Thanh Hoa continued to double the gap. From a lightning counterattack in the middle, Rimario received a pass from his teammate, then shot diagonally, goalkeeper Van Viet blocked the ball. However, Le Thanh Binh was there in time to head the ball into the net of Song Lam Nghe An.
In the 23rd minute, Song Lam Nghe An's net shook for the third time after Rimario's classy header in the middle of the penalty area. However, before that, the referee raised his flag for offside and did not recognize the home team's goal.
After conceding two goals, Song Lam Nghe An tried to push up their formation to find an equalizer, but facing Thanh Hoa's well-organized defense, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's players were unable to create dangerous opportunities in front of Xuan Hoang's goal. Therefore, the first 45 minutes ended with the score remaining 2-0 in favor of the home team Thanh Hoa.
Entering the second half, coach Phan Nhu Thuat decided to strengthen the midfield by bringing Dinh Xuan Tien and Tran Nam Hai onto the field to replace Nguyen Van Bach and Bui Dinh Chau. The presence of this duo helped Song Lam Nghe An's midfield control the ball better. That's why the opportunity to shorten the score for the Nghe club began to appear more often towards Xuan Hoang's goal.
In the 55th minute, from a set piece free kick, Mai Sy Hoang sent the ball to Tran Nam Hai. However, Song Lam Nghe An's number 17 did not handle it properly, missing the opportunity to shorten the score for the home team.
After many tireless efforts, in the 60th minute, coach Phan Nhu Thuat's students found Xuan Hoang's net. The goal came from Olaha's wall, Dinh Xuan Tien made a beautiful volley in the air, pinning the ball into the top corner before the opponent's goalkeeper was helpless. The match score was shortened by Song Lam Nghe An to 1-2.
The joy was short-lived, when the spirit of Song Lam Nghe An players was high, suddenly goalkeeper Van Viet made a mistake, letting the ball slip through his hands, Nguyen Hoang was there in time, kicked the ball into the empty net, raising the score to 3-1 for Dong A Thanh Hoa.
With about 15 minutes left in the match, coach Phan Nhu Thuat continued to strengthen the attack by bringing Quang Vinh and Xuan Dai onto the field to replace Manh Quynh and Success. However, the presence of this pair still could not help Song Lam Nghe An find an equalizer. Therefore, the match ended with a score of 3-1 in favor of Dong A Thanh Hoa.
After this round, V.League 2023/2024 will take a break so that the Vietnam National Team can focus on preparing for the second qualifying round of the World Cup.
On December 2, Song Lam Nghe An will return home to welcome Quang Nam./.
