Song Lam Nghe An suffered their first defeat under coach Pham Anh Tuan.

With 4 rounds left in the 2023/24 V-League, the battle to avoid a Play-off ticket is still extremely tense for the teams at the bottom of the rankings. In particular, Song Lam Nghe An, although having just gone through 3 wins and 1 draw and ranked 11th on the rankings, is still only equal in points with the 2 teams right behind, Quang Nam and Hoang Anh Gia Lai. Therefore, each remaining match of the season will be like a final for the Vinh home team.

And first of all, the match against Thanh Hoa in round 23 of V-League 2023/24 is like a pivotal match for the home team Song Lam Nghe An. If they have to accept defeat against the neighboring team, Song Lam Nghe An's fate this season will become extremely uncertain.

Given the importance of the match, coach Pham Anh Tuan has fielded what is considered the strongest lineup of Song Lam Nghe An. The trio of central defenders have been renewed with Tran Nam Hai, Mario and Phan Ba ​​Quyen. Guarding the two wings are two young defenders Bui Thanh Duc and Vuong Van Huy. Dang Quang Tu, Tran Manh Quynh, Nguyen Quang Vinh and Le Dinh Long Vu are positioned as midfielders. Olaha is positioned highest up the attack line.

On the other side of the front line, Thanh Hoa launched a strong lineup with notable names such as the foreign duo Rimario and Luiz Antonio. In addition, there was the presence of Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Thai Son, A Mit...

With the significance of a turning point match for the whole season, both teams entered the match quite cautiously. Although playing at home, Song Lam Nghe An did not dare to risk pushing up their formation to overwhelm the opponent. Instead, coach Pham Anh Tuan's students played at a moderate pace, the ball was mainly circulated back and forth in the midfield area.

In the opposite direction, Thanh Hoa approached the match closely. However, the unexpected happened at Vinh Stadium, when in the 10th minute, Thanh Hoa broke the deadlock. Starting from a corner kick, the ball bounced to the second line and Luiz Antonio swung his leg to volley with great class. The ball flew at high speed while goalkeeper Van Viet was helpless.

After conceding the goal, Song Lam Nghe An pushed up their formation to find an equalizer and in an attack on the right wing, Long Vu made a skillful tap-in, but could not get past the control of Thanh Hoa defender. Afterwards, the midfielder born in 2005 claimed that the ball touched Thai Son's hand in the penalty area but after discussing with the VAR team, the main referee did not make any decision.

In the 35th minute, from a lightning counterattack on the right wing, Long Vu made an accurate cross inside for Olaha, but the striker wearing the number 7 shirt missed the ball, missing the opportunity to equalize the score for Song Lam Nghe An.

In the last minutes of the first half, Quang Vinh took a shot from the second line, the ball went quite difficult but could not beat goalkeeper Thanh Thang. Therefore, the first 45 minutes ended with a temporary score of 1-0 in favor of Thanh Hoa.

In the second half, Song Lam Nghe An took the initiative to attack, putting pressure right from the start. The home team quickly created a chance in the 47th minute, but Manh Quynh missed the ball when facing goalkeeper Thanh Thang after a pass from Long Vu.

Immediately after that, Thanh Hoa also responded with a counterattack on the left wing, but in an open position, midfielder Le Quoc Phuong could not defeat goalkeeper Van Viet.

Realizing the need to put more pressure on the away team's field, coach Pham Anh Tuan decided to send Xuan Tien and Phuc Tinh onto the field to replace Quang Tu and Manh Quynh.

However, Thanh Hoa proactively retreated deep into the formation, defending with a large number of players, which caused Song Lam Nghe An's attacking style to fall into a deadlock. Therefore, the match ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of the away team. This was also the first loss under the leadership of coach Pham Anh Tuan.

Round 24, Song Lam Nghe An will travel to Hoa Xuan Stadium to meet host Quang Nam.