U21 SLNA - U21 Viettel: Continuing the happy days

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of December 5, coach Dinh Van Dung and his team will compete with U21 Viettel in the first semi-final match - U21 National 2017. The goal of Phan Van Duc and his teammates is nothing other than to win against the team from the capital.

In the U21 National Qualifiers held in Hanoi in mid-August, U21 SLNA was in the same group as U21 Viettel. The match between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw (Pham Xuan Manh scored the opening goal). At the end of the qualifying round, the Nghe An team won a ticket to the finals with the top spot in the group, while U21 Viettel was only present in Binh Duong - the host of the tournament as one of the second-placed teams with the best results.

What U21 SLNA did in the qualifying round surprised many experts and fans.

Entering the final round, coach Dinh Van Dung and his team received a lot of skepticism about their ability to advance further in the tournament. The draw of luck put the Nghe An team in the same group with U21 Binh Duong (host), U21 PVF and U21 An Giang.

According to experts, U21 SLNA coming to this tournament is not as strong as previous years. The main players are relatively unknown faces, playing on loan at Second Division teams such as (CAND, Phu Dong...).

Phan Van Duc (number 20) and Pham Xuan Manh (number 7) are the two brightest stars of U21 SLNA. Photo: Internet

Not only that, in the first two matches of U21 SLNA against U21 An Giang and U21 PVF, coach Dinh Van Dung could not have the services of the duo Phan Van Duc - Pham Xuan Manh (busy playing the second leg of the National Cup final against B.Binh Duong).

The strength of the Nghe An team was even more doubted when in the opening match against U21 An Giang - considered the weakest in the group, Bui Dinh Chau and his teammates only managed a 1-1 draw (Dong Van Doan scored from the penalty spot).

The journey to conquer the throne of coach Dinh Van Dung and his team encountered difficulties right from the start. Not stopping there, in the match with U21 PVF in the second round, goalkeeper Duong Van Cuong's net shook after nearly 5 minutes of the ball rolling.

If they cannot successfully reverse the situation, the risk of U21 SLNA being eliminated in the group stage is very clear. In such a dangerous situation, coach Dinh Van Dung and his students have proven their mettle with a 2-1 victory (Pham Duc Thong and Lai Duc Anh scored).

The brave comeback against U21 PVF and the timely addition of Pham Xuan Manh and Phan Van Duc, helped U21 SLNA's strength increase significantly. Meeting the home team U21 Binh Duong, who were in high spirits after 2 consecutive victories against U21 PVF and U21 An Giang and officially entered the semi-finals, the Nghe An team played very reasonably and excellently to win the final with a score of 3 - 2.

Pham Xuan Manh's opening goal and Phan Van Duc's double in the final minutes of the match sent U21 SLNA straight into the semi-finals as group winners.

U21 SLNA players celebrate after a 2-1 victory over U21 PVF. Photo: Internet

Now meeting their fateful opponent, U21 Viettel, coach Dinh Van Dung and his team are no longer considered "underdogs". In terms of experience in the 21-year-old tournament, not only U21 Viettel but no other team is on par with U21 SLNA in terms of achievements (5 championships).

In terms of strength, the Nghe An team is also slightly better, with the presence of the duo who have been the pillars of SLNA's first team in the past 2 years, Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh. The opportunity for coach Dinh Van Dung and his team to overcome U21 Viettel is quite high.

Nghe An fans have had to wait more than a year to see their favorite team compete in the finals (they did not participate in 2015 and 2016). The National Cup championship of SLNA's first team a few days ago was a dose of mental "doping" for coach Dinh Van Dung and his students. The ticket to the final match is only 90 minutes away for U21 SLNA. Believe in Phan Van Duc and his teammates./.

Thanh Hung