Referee made serious mistake, North Central derby lost its fun

(Baonghean.vn) - Playing well throughout the match, but the brilliance of a former player of the team and the inaccuracy of the referee caused SLNA to lose 2 points in their away match at Thanh Hoa Stadium in round 9 of VLeague 2016.

Thanh Hoa’s starting lineup included two former SLNA players from last season, Dinh Dong and Hoang Thinh. Another former SLNA player, Van Binh, sat on the bench. Other quality players from the home team were present, including Tien Thanh, Quoc Phuong, Dinh Tung, Quy Suu, and the striker pair Omar and Frier.

Hoang Thinh scores against his old team. Photo: Trung Kien

On the guest team SLNA, after 2 matches absent due to suspension, Que Ngoc Hai returned to play in the center of defense with Ngoc Toan. Veteran midfielder Van Vinh also played from the start.

Contrary to initial assessments, SLNA did not appear to be at a disadvantage against the home team FLC Thanh Hoa. The away team even had the upper hand in terms of ball possession in the first 20 minutes.

However, the bad field and the rain made it difficult for the two teams to coordinate their play.

It wasn't until the 33rd minute that the first clear scoring opportunity appeared and it belonged to the home team Thanh Hoa. Foreign striker Omar fired a powerful shot from outside the box, forcing goalkeeper Nguyen Manh to fly as far as he could to push the ball out.

Hundreds of enthusiastic SLNA fans in the stands. Photo: Trung Kien

After this situation, FLC Thanh Hoa pushed up their attack. But the unexpected goal came in the 38th minute for the away team SLNA. From a free kick on the right wing, Van Vinh crossed the ball into the penalty area for Baba to jump high and head the ball into the net of goalkeeper Thanh Thang. This was Baba's first goal for SLNA.

In the last minute of the first half, Phi Son fired a low shot from outside the box, beating the Thanh Hoa defense and goalkeeper, but unfortunately the ball hit the post and went out. The first half ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of SLNA.

In the first minutes of the second half, SLNA was the better team and they increased the score to 2-0 in the 37th minute. Van Vinh continued to make his mark with a free kick from the left wing, sending the ball into the penalty area. A Thanh Hoa goalkeeper defender failed to control the ball, causing goalkeeper Thanh Thang to miss and watch the ball fly into the net.

A few minutes later, Phi Son dribbled past two Thanh Hoa players but could not score to increase the gap.

In the 62nd minute, the score was shortened for FLC Thanh Hoa and it was a very memorable goal. From a distance of about 25m, Hoang Thinh launched a cannon shot, scoring against his former team.

In the following minutes, SLNA put the entire squad on defense, causing Thanh Hoa to create many scoring opportunities. However, the home team's equalizer was a controversial situation.

In the 88th minute, striker Omar fell outside the penalty area while running down the middle. However, the referee quickly pointed to the penalty spot, amid the fierce reaction of SLNA players. The match had to be interrupted for a few minutes, because the visiting team's coaching staff also entered the field to argue. Then, on the penalty spot, Omar himself kicked accurately, defeating Nguyen Manh.

This disappointing goal caused SLNA to be held to a 2-2 draw.

Minh Quan