Conceding a goal in injury time, SLNA lost their first match in the AFC Cup
(Baonghean.vn) - Going to Indonesia to play as guests at Persija Jakata, SLNA did not bring their strongest squad, but coach Duc Thang's students still stood firm for 90 minutes against the home team and suffered a bitter defeat right in the extra time.
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| SLNA played defensively against the Indonesian representative. Photo: AFC |
Coach Nguyen Duc Thang only brought 16 players to Indonesia. SLNA's coaching staff decided to let a series of key players rest to prepare for the two priority tournaments: V.League and the 2018 National Cup. Vietnam U23 player Pham Xuan Manh was also not in the starting lineup.
Surprisingly, the Nghe An team played an effective defense in the first half. Persija Jakarta Club, with the home field advantage and the support of about 30,000 fans, took the initiative, but the home team still played quite deadlocked against SLNA's defense.
In the first 25 minutes, goalkeeper Le Quang Dai and SLNA's defense did not give Persija Jakarta's main striker Marko Simic any chance.
At the end of the first half, the score was still 0 - 0.
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| Quang Dai's excellence helped SLNA's net stay clean until the 90+3 minute. Photo: AFC |
Right at the start of the second half, luck was on the side of the Nghe An team. Persija Jakarta had a good attack on the right wing and eliminated 3 SLNA defenders, facing Quang Dai, but Ramdani's shot was too weak.
SLNA then responded with a quick counter-attack on the left wing in the 55th minute. Nguyen Viet Nguyen dribbled from his own half before firing a shot into the penalty area. Unfortunately, the young SLNA striker was impacted from behind by a Persija Jakarta defender, causing the ball to miss the goal by a hair.
It can be said that the only ineffective piece of SLNA in this match was striker Viet Nguyen with continuous situations of losing the ball. Meanwhile, defender Tran Dinh Hoang in his second match back on the field showed excellent form. Constantly under pressure from the home team, SLNA is still playing bravely and surely making Persija Jakarta helpless in finding a goal.
Besides, it is impossible not to mention the excellence and concentration of goalkeeper Quang Dai. The goalkeeper born in 1993 had some amazing saves, especially in the 62nd minute after a very strong shot from a tight angle by substitute striker Addison.
Even in the second half, Quang Dai's net continued to shake but there was still no goal due to striker Addison's offside. In the 69th minute, luck continued to be on the visitors' side when Ho Phuc Tinh saved the goal right on the goal line after a dangerous header from Persija's effective foreign player Addison. At this time, the home team began to send all their attacking players onto the field to increase the pressure. 37-year-old veteran Bambang Pamungkas was the most notable player sent onto the field for Persija. Meanwhile, coach Nguyen Duc Thang decided to let Xuan Manh replace Ngoc Duc and withdrew Viet Nguyen to make way for Cao Xuan Thang.
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| The home team completely dominated SLNA through statistics. Photo: AFC |
In the 85th minute, goalkeeper Le Quang Dai continued to frustrate the home team with an excellent diving save after veteran Bambang Pamungkas's dangerous header in the penalty area. SLNA also immediately had an answer with a dangerous attack in the 88th minute. Striker Ho Tuan Tai received a delicate pass from his teammate, handled the ball for a moment before making a curling shot that went just past the home team's goalpost.
The match had 5 minutes of extra time and SLNA was really in a defensive position. Right at the moment Phuc Tinh was in pain and had not yet entered the field in the 90+3 minute, the home team Persija got what they wanted. From a cross from a Persija Jakarta player on the left wing, Addison broke into the penalty area, volleyed unmarked and scored against SLNA. Once they had scored, the home team started playing dirty with time-wasting situations, bringing the match to a close 1-0 victory.A commendable match for SLNA but coach Duc Thang's calculations were ruined at the decisive moment of the match. Losing the match, SLNA has the same 7 points as Persija Jakarta but still holds the top position in Group H due to a better coefficient (+3 compared to +1). And if they want to continue, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team must get 4 points in the remaining 2 matches against Tampines Rover at Vinh Stadium and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia./.
| Match Highlights. Video: Fox Sports |
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