Beating host Viettel, Song Lam Nghe An officially stays in the league

If The Cong Viettel has run out of fighting goals and is temporarily satisfied with the 4th place overall, Song Lam Nghe An is facing the worry of having to play the play-off match with PVF CAND.

However, even if Song Lam Nghe An wins all 3 points in the final round of the season, they still won't be able to decide for themselves. Coach Pham Anh Tuan's team still has to look at the results of the two matches between Hong Linh Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa and Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Hai Phong.

The match took place at Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong City (Viettel's home field). Coach Pham Anh Tuan deployed the familiar 5-3-2 formation with 3 central defenders: Tran Dinh Hoang, Mario Zebic, Le Van Thanh. The 2 wing corridors were in charge of Vuong Van Huy and Bui Thanh Duc. Playing right above were 3 midfielders Nguyen Xuan Binh, Tran Manh Quynh and Nguyen Quang Vinh. The striker duo of the Nghe An team were Olaha and Ngo Van Luong.

On the other side of the battle line, despite having run out of targets, Viettel still launched a lineup with many key players such as Bui Tien Dung, Abdumuminov, Phan Tuan Tai, Nham Manh Dung, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Pedro Henrique...

Determined to win, but against an opponent superior in every aspect, Song Lam Nghe An had to face many difficulties in defending against the attacks from the home team Viettel.

In the 3rd minute, the army team almost scored an early goal but Dinh Hoang saved Song Lam Nghe An with a clearance before the goal line, after Pedro Henrique's kick.

Not stopping there, in the 9th minute, Viettel continued to create opportunities for the away team. Pedro Henrique broke into the penalty area alone, but his shot was too weak and could not beat goalkeeper Van Viet.

After the home team created opportunities, Song Lam Nghe An started to regain control of the game and organized some neat attacks. However, Viettel's defense played with concentration to successfully neutralize the visitors' attacks.

In the 21st minute, Quang Vinh confidently dribbled the ball in the middle and then fired a powerful long-range shot, but the ball went wide of Xuan Son's goal.

In the following minutes, although Olaha and his teammates tried their best, Song Lam Nghe An could not create any more clear opportunities towards the home team's goal. The first 45 minutes ended without any goals being scored.

Entering the second half, after being outplayed by Viettel in the first few minutes, Song Lam Nghe An began to organize some quality counterattacks. In the 54th minute, from a move up the left wing, Manh Quynh crossed the ball accurately to Ngo Van Luong. However, the striker's close-range header hit the post, missing the chance to open the scoring for the away team.

6 minutes later, Song Lam Nghe An continued to create opportunities from the air. However, Mario's header went high above the goal.

After a series of missed opportunities, Song Lam Nghe An broke the deadlock with a goal in the 64th minute of the match. From a cross from the right wing by Van Luong, striker Michael Olaha in a favorable position unleashed a tricky shot into the net of The Cong Viettel.

After scoring the goal, Song Lam Nghe An still decided to put 3 attacking players on the field. Xuan Tien, Van Bach, Long Vu came on to replace Xuan Binh, Manh Quynh and Van Luong.

And the joy continued to come to Nghe An fans when Olaha scored a double to help Song Lam Nghe An double the gap against Viettel. The Nigerian striker handled the ball skillfully before unleashing a powerful shot that left goalkeeper Xuan Son helpless.

In the final minutes of the match, Viettel increased the pressure, but Song Lam Nghe An played hard to defend the 2-0 victory. With this result, coach Pham Anh Tuan and his team surpassed Hong Linh Ha Tinh on the V-League 2023/24 rankings to officially stay in the league successfully.