Bitter defeat against U21 PVF-CAND: Expensive lesson for U21 Song Lam Nghe An
Despite being rated higher, coach Pham Anh Tuan's team had to accept a 2-4 loss to U21 PVF-CAND. This defeat put U21 Song Lam Nghe An at a disadvantage in the final round of the National U21 tournament this year.
Sleepy defense, nightmare start
Despite the excitement after winning the opening match, the weaknesses ofU21 Song Lam Nghe Ancontinued to be exposed, especially in the defense system. After only the first 21 minutes, the young team from Nghe An had let the opponent score 3 goals, in which, many situations stemmed from lack of concentration and loose coordination between positions.
Goalkeeper Nguyen Huu Hau, who was expected to be a reliable stopper, had a day of underperformance and ended with a disastrous red card. Being down 0-3 too early caused the U21 Song Lam Nghe An team to completely collapse, although their efforts to rise up afterwards helped them score 2 honorary goals to shorten the score to 2-4.
Lose points, lose troops and lose advantage
The defeat not only caused U21 Song Lam Nghe An to lose the top spot in Group A, but also put them in a difficult position in the race for a ticket to the quarterfinals. Currently, coach Pham Anh Tuan's team has dropped to third place and is forced to win at least 1 point in the final round to secure a place in the next round.
However, the challenge for the young Nghe An team is not only in terms of points. Goalkeeper Huu Hau is suspended due to a red card, along with midfielderLe Dinh Long Vualso absent due to 2 yellow cards will seriously damage coach Pham Anh Tuan's squad. With these absences, coach Pham Anh Tuan will have a headache in choosing personnel as well as playing style of U21 Song Lam Nghe An in the upcoming match.
Not only is there a loss in terms of personnel, but the heavy loss also affects the mentality of the young players. This is something that the U21 Song Lam Nghe An Coaching Board needs to quickly overcome if they do not want their team to stop early.
The door to move forward is still bright, but thorns await.
However, the chance to enter the quarterfinals is not yet closed for U21 Song Lam Nghe An. With a better goal difference than the teams in Group B and Group C, just need to win 1 draw in the final round, the young team from Nghe An will almost certainly get a ticket to continue.
However, if they cannot win the top spot in Group A, U21 Song Lam Nghe An will likely have to face strong opponents such as U21 PVF or U21 The Cong Viettel. With a broken squad and not really stable fighting spirit, this will be a big challenge for coach Pham Anh Tuan and his students.
Essential lessons for the journey ahead
It can be said that the defeat against U21 PVF-CAND was a necessary "stumble" for the young players of Song Lam Nghe An to re-evaluate themselves. Youth football is always a place to practice and mature, and losses like this sometimes bring more value than an easy victory. This is the time for the players to show their mettle, ability to overcome difficulties and the spirit of overcoming themselves - the factors that have made the brand of Nghe An football over the years.
Coach Pham Anh TuanThere will certainly be reasonable adjustments in tactics and personnel to overcome the problems that have been revealed. The final match in the group stage will be a real "test" for the ambition to go far in the tournament of U21 Song Lam Nghe An. If they can overcome the difficulties, the young team from Nghe An can still continue their journey to the final round this year in an impressive way.
