SLNA captain Nguyen Duc Thang praised Nguyen Manh, hoping Khac Ngoc will be called up to the national team.

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang happily entered the press conference room

Coach Nguyen Duc ThangComment on the match: “I am really happy that the team won, but in this match we were also very lucky. If SHB Da Nang had taken advantage of the opportunities and been luckier, the result might have been different. I also appreciate the spirit of the whole team in this victory”.

When asked about the change in the lineup in Ngoc Toan's position, coach Nguyen Duc Thang replied: "Due to injury and card problems, in this match, I was forced to push Ngoc Toan to play in the right midfielder position and Ngoc Toan also contributed significantly to the goals and helped the home team win."

Regarding the reason why Ho Khac Ngoc was not called up to the national team, the coach from Nghe An answered: "With this question, the answer should be for the head coach of the Vietnam national team, but for me personally, Khac Ngoc is very worthy of being called up to the national team."

SLNA took advantage of the opportunity very well during their away match at Hoa Xuan Stadium. Photo: Viet Dinh

In your opinion, did SLNA win today because your team played well or SHB Da Nang played below their best? - "As I said from the beginning, today we won thanks to the efforts of the whole team, along with luck. They also created opportunities but could not defeat Nguyen Manh and were unlucky when the final shots through Nguyen Manh's hands hit the crossbar or the post. I have a word of praise for Nguyen Manh, he had an excellent match" - SLNA head coach replied.

Regarding the issue of sponsors and the season's goals, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang said: "Initially, our team needed 50-60 billion VND before the season started because we had 13 players whose contracts expired. Thanks to the support of sponsors and the province, we have had 50 billion VND until the end of this season. Our goal is to try through each match and like any team participating in the tournament, we always aim for the championship, but our force is not too abundant, so we need to calculate carefully."

Regarding the injuries of Xuan Manh and Van Duc: “Both players are racing against time to recover from their injuries. Fortunately, the VFF center has the necessary equipment and foreign experts, so the recovery process of both players is progressing well and I hope they will return soon. Van Duc is making significant recovery steps, but to return, although he is looking forward to it, he needs more time to practice and monitor before he can play with his teammates” - Coach Nguyen Duc Thang answered before leaving the press conference room.

Coach Le Huynh Duc is not satisfied with the attack line.

When asked how he assessed his team in this match, Coach Le Huynh Duc said: “In all the matches from the match against Quang Nam until now, I feel very satisfied with the way the team plays. Especially in terms of defense, the team has improved compared to last season. However, I am not satisfied with the finishing. We had many opportunities but the strikers could not finish them off.

Football is like that, when the team plays a lot of attacking, beautiful but cannot score, we have to pay the price. This is something we could have predicted from the beginning of the season because our front line was very weak. I hoped Merlo could hold on to play, but the other players in the attack line have not been in good form since I returned to take over."

Coach Le Huynh Duc is not satisfied with SHB Da Nang's attack. Photo: Viet Dinh

“Before coming back, I also did not rate Duc Chinh highly. Since the beginning of the season, this player has not shown much. Duc Chinh also had to endure a lot of pressure. He did not score many goals in the matches when participating in the U23 tournament, causing his performance to decline significantly.”

Talking about SHB Da Nang's poor results in hosting SLNA, Coach Le Huynh Duc said: "I don't pay attention to that problem, but in today's match, we didn't finish well while SLNA took advantage of it and the second goal came when we had to raise our formation to find an equalizer."

In the next match, Da Nang players will visit SGFC while SLNA will return home to welcome Nam Dinh.