We love you so much, fans from Nghe An!
(Baonghean.vn) - During Ho Chi Minh City FC's away match in Round 8 of the first phase of V.League 2021, Phan Van Duc and his teammates received enthusiastic support from a large number of fans from their hometown, despite their extremely poor performance and results this season.
At this moment, SLNA isPerformed poorly in stage 1In the 2021 V.League season, the team has a record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses. After 8 rounds, coach Ngo Quang Truong's team is languishing in 12th place in the standings, just one point ahead of Hong Linh Ha Tinh and Saigon FC, who are ranked below them.
Witnessing their team's extremely disappointing performance this season, fans in Nghe An province are not too surprised. This is because SLNA has repeated the same pattern over and over again in recent seasons. But the "12th player" of the Vinh-based team has never abandoned them.
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| SLNA players had another unsuccessful match. Photo: Bá Tuấn |
Proof of this is that in the recent match against Ho Chi Minh City FC in Round 8 of Phase 1 of V.League 2021, Coach Ngo Quang Truong's team still received enthusiastic support from a large number of fans from Nghe An province. These are people who have left their hometown and are now settling and making a living in the southern provinces.
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| A large crowd of fans from Nghe An province gathered at Thong Nhat Stadium. Photo: Ba Tuan |
Unfortunately, on the field, Coach Ngo Quang Truong's players performed poorly and were completely overwhelmed by the home team. Witnessing the Ho Chi Minh City FC strikers repeatedly bombarding goalkeeper Nguyen Van Hoang's goal, many yellow-shirted fans could only hold their heads in sadness and despair.
When the final whistle blew, watching the throngs of Nghe An fans leaving the stadium, it felt like the road home, back to their rented rooms, had never seemed so far. Simply put, SLNA – their "Pride of Nghe An" – had lost a match they fully accepted against their opponent.
Instead of sitting slumped on the pitch, or sitting motionless in the coaching cabin with vacant stares, Coach Ngo Quang Truong and his players should have gone out to the stands with the SLNA fans to express their sincere gratitude and apologies.
Perhaps, fans from Nghe An living far from home would feel much warmer inside. Admittedly, people from Nghe An don't appreciate formality or superficiality.
I suddenly remembered that after Hong Linh Ha Tinh conceded a last-minute equalizer to Binh Dinh on April 7th, captain Tran Phi Son, a former SLNA player, and his teammates stood before their home fans, clasped their hands, broke down in tears, and bowed their heads in apology. That action, those tears, made the fans of the "Hong Mountain" team love and be even more proud of coach Pham Minh Duc and his team.
Fans in this region often sing, "Even though we're angry, we still love each other deeply," and they will never abandon their team under any circumstances. They cry together in defeat and laugh together in victory. SLNA and Hong Linh Ha Tinh should remember to cherish their "partners in crime" even more.
