U21 SLNA: Hello, we're back!

(Baonghean.vn) - At Viettel Sports Center, U21 SLNA just had a valuable victory with a score of 2-1 against U21 Hanoi, thereby winning a ticket to the 2017 National U21 Finals which will take place in Binh Duong this coming November.

Before entering the qualifying campaign, not many people believed that coach Dinh Van Dung and his team would achieve a positive result in a group with the presence of the defending champion U21 Hanoi, U21 Viettel and U21 FLC Thanh Hoa. The prospect of U21 SLNA failing to reach the finals for the third consecutive year was inevitable.

That skepticism is completely justified. It must be admitted that the force in the hands of coach Dinh Van Dung is not as highly rated as in previous years. Apart from the faces that have more or less left an impression on fans, such as Bui Dinh Chau, Duong Van Cuong, Phan Van Duc or Pham Xuan Manh. The rest are mostly relatively unknown players.

A training session of U21 SLNA players before leaving for Hanoi to participate in the qualifying round. Photo: Tram Uyen.

Besides, it has been 2 years since U21 SLNA has not passed the qualifying round. In 2015, the team led by coach Dinh Van Dung was in the same group with host U21 Hue, U21 SHB Da Nang, U21 FLC Thanh Hoa and U21 QNK Quang Nam. Although they are the defending champions and have a strong squad with 7 players reinforced from SLNA's first team, the young team from Nghe An has caused great disappointment.

Not only was U21 SLNA eliminated, but it also left an ugly image with the offensive behavior of captain Pham Manh Hung. In the 0-2 loss of U21 SLNA against U21 SHB Da Nang, after being disqualified, Hung "crossbar" rushed to attack the main referee Vu Manh Cuong. As a result, the 1993-born midfielder was fined 3 million VND and suspended for 3 matches by VFF.

U21 SLNA is causing many surprises in the National U21 season. Photo: Internet.

In 2016, U21 SLNA fell into group A held in Thanh Hoa. To realize the goal of winning a ticket to the finals, SLNA's Board of Directors chose experienced coach Nguyen Van Thinh to take on the captain position. Unfortunately, U21 SLNA still did not compete successfully and had to accept 3rd place out of 4 participating teams with only 3 points.

In terms of strength and preparation, U21 SLNA this year is clearly weaker than the last two years, at least in theory. Not to mention, the opponents that coach Dinh Van Dung and his team have to face are also "famous". U21 Hanoi is the defending champion, U21 Viettel with the core of players playing in the National First Division and National Second Division, U21 Thanh Hoa is showing constant progress.

Coach Dinh Van Dung has a great contribution to the achievement of U21 SLNA passing the qualifying round. Photo: Document.

In such a difficult situation, it is not difficult to understand that the majority of Nghe An fans do not believe in the success of U21 SLNA. However, the fact that there is not much expectation is an advantage for coach Dinh Van Dung and his team. Without having to bear the pressure, the heads and feet of Pham Xuan Manh and his teammates played much more freely.

In the opening match against their neighbor U21 FLC Thanh Hoa, U21 SLNA had a convincing victory with a score of 3-0. The mental effect from the victory on the opening day helped the young team from Nghe An get a valuable draw against the host U21 Viettel, after taking the lead with a goal by Pham Xuan Manh. U21 SLNA's journey to conquer a ticket to the final round ended beautifully with a 2-1 victory over the defending champion U21 Hanoi.

Winning the top spot in Group A, U21 SLNA has officially entered the 2017 National U21 Finals to be held at Go Dau Stadium (Binh Duong) this coming November. Now is the time for Phan Van Duc and his teammates to proudly declare to all opponents: Hello, we are back!

Thanh Hung