Song Lam Nghe An created an earthquake when they won against the defending champion Nam Dinh Green Steel.

By defeating Hai Phong in the opening round, Nam Dinh Blue Steel continues to prove that they are the number 1 candidate for the championship this season.

In contrast to the opponent,Lam River Nghe Anentered the match under a lot of pressure after a 1-2 defeat to rookie PVF-CAND in round 1. In particular, the absence of foreign central defender Justin Julian due to suspension put the Nghe An team at a disadvantage. Coach Phan Nhu Thuat was forced to use a completely domestic defense consisting of Ba Quyen, Van Khanh, Nam Hai and Van Huy. The midfield consisted of Carlos Enrique, Quang Vinh, Khac Ngoc, Van Luong and Ho Van Cuong, while Olaha was expected to create a breakthrough in attack.

Despite being considered weaker, Song Lam Nghe An entered the game proactively. In particular, the Vinh home team used many attacking situations in the middle, which caused many difficulties for Nam Dinh Blue Steel. And that way of playing helped Song Lam Nghe An own the first dangerous opportunity in the 8th minute of the match. From a corner kick by a teammate, the defender of Nam Dinh Blue Steel cleared the ball, and it came to the feet of Khac Ngoc. The midfielder wearing the number 32 shirt skillfully handled the opponent player and then fired a powerful shot, but the ball went wide, missing the opportunity to open the score for the home team.

However, the class of the defending champions quickly showed. Just about 2 minutes after the opportunity created by Song Lam Nghe An, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh scored the opening goal of the match.

Lam Ti Phong made a bold breakthrough, passing 2 SLNA players, then unleashed a decisive kick that tore the roof of the opponent's net.

After conceding an early goal, Song Lam Nghe An decided to push up their formation to find an equalizer. However, with a very strong squad, the away team easily blocked the opponent's attacks.

On the other hand, the defending champions did not attack too much, but each of their attacks contained dangers and could score against the home team at any time. In the 27th minute, after a series of passes in the middle, the ball reached Brenner and the foreign striker fired a shot that went just wide of the post.

As for Song Lam Nghe An, after many times of tirelessly organizing attacks, they also created confusion for the defense of Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. In the 37th minute, Ho Van Cuong had a clear opportunity in front of Nguyen Manh's goal, but the midfielder's close-range shot sent the ball wide of the post.

However, Song Lam Nghe An fans did not have to feel too regretful, because just 3 minutes later, Song Lam Nghe An scored to equalize the match. The goal came from a lightning attack, the home team only needed 2 touches to bring the ball to Van Luong's position. Realizing that goalkeeper Nguyen Manh was up high, player number 20 decided to execute an absolutely accurate lob, breaking the visitors' net.

And the score 1-1 also ended the first 45 minutes of the match.

Entering the second half, determined to win all 3 points, coach Vu Hong Viet sent the 2m06 tall player Kyle onto the field.

However, Song Lam Nghe An was the team that created more efficiency on the attacking front. In the 48th minute, the home team scored against Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, but was denied by the referee. From a breakthrough on the left wing by Khac Ngoc, midfielder wearing shirt number 32 made a cross for Olaha to shoot past goalkeeper Nguyen Manh. The referee later said that the ball had touched the hand of striker wearing shirt number 7. However, reviewing the slow-motion replay showed that Olaha had not made a mistake. In addition, this match did not apply VAR, so the referee's decision could not be changed.

Despite the referee's disallowance of the goal, Song Lam Nghe An continued to play with great effort. And in the 81st minute, they were rewarded with a goal that raised the score to 2-1. Starting from an attack in the middle, Olaha headed the ball to Moore, who quickly volleyed it into the far corner, defeating goalkeeper Nguyen Manh.

In the final minutes of the match, Nam Dinh Steel Blue pushed up the squad to find an equalizer but failed. Thus, Song Lam Nghe An created an earthquake when they won 2-1 against the defending champion Nam Dinh Steel Blue.

Round 3 of V.League 2025/26, Song Lam Nghe An will travel to Lach Tray Stadium to meet host Hai Phong.