U21 Song Lam Nghe An narrowly missed the chance to enter the quarter-finals of the 2022 National U21

Ngo Van Luong missed a regrettable opportunity, thereby U21 Song Lam Nghe An could not score against U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai. Photo: Chung Le

Before entering the third match series, U21 Song Lam Nghe An has 4 points and is temporarily ranked first in group A.

The starting lineup ofU21 Song Lam Nghe AnThere are not many changes compared to the previous 2 matches. In which Dinh Xuan Tien is still the player expected to create a breakthrough.

On the other side of the front line, U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai has only got 1 point. Therefore, the mountain town team must win to have a chance to enter the next round.

Faced with that situation, as soon as the opening whistle blew, coach Le Thanh An of Hoang Anh Gia Lai instructed his players to attack.

However, with the quality of the squad, U21 Song Lam Nghe An did not let the opponent put pressure on the home field. The Nghe team's attacks mainly started from the midfield and then passed through Dinh Xuan Tien, before distributing the ball to the flanks.

In the 12th minute, from a teammate's opening, striker Ngo Van Luong of Song Lam Nghe An controlled the ball well, eliminated the opposing defender, then made a beautiful stroke, leaving goalkeeper Bao Duy helpless. However, the ball hit the edge of the crossbar and the post and flew out, missing the scoring opportunity for U21 Song Lam Nghe An.

Tran Manh Quynh was unlucky when he sent the ball to the junction of the crossbar and the post. Photo: Chung Le

Not stopping there, 5 minutes later, U21 Nghe An continued to create a golden opportunity in front of the away team's goal, but Ngo Van Luong once again missed it. That was the situation where the striker wearing the number 7 shirt used his speed to escape and face the goalkeeper. However, this striker kicked the ball into the goalkeeper and went out.

Despite many attacks but not scoring any goals, U21 Song Lam Nghe An suffered a counterattack from U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai. In the 33rd minute, from a cross by Vu Minh Hieu, Vuong Van Huy cleared the ball incorrectly, going straight into the net of goalkeeper Chu Van Tan, opening the score for U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

After conceding the goal, U21 Song Lam Nghe An flooded into the opponent's field to find an equalizer. The Nghe team created a series of opportunities in front of Bao Duy's goal, but all were regrettably missed. The most regrettable missed opportunity belonged to Tran Manh Quynh. This player had a breakthrough on the left wing, eliminating the opponent's defense, but his final kick went wide of the post.

In the second half, Coach Nguyen Van Tien decided to change some elements in the squad, in which Nguyen Van Bach was arranged to play as a center forward. This change helped U21 Song Lam Nghe An completely control the game. However, the away team retreated the entire squad to their home field to preserve the score. Therefore, Song Lam Nghe An's strikers could not approach Bao Duy's goal.

Despite not winning, U21 Song Lam Nghe An still made it to the quarter-finals. Photo: Chung Le

In the final minutes, U21 Song Lam Nghe An increased the pressure, but were powerless against the away team's central defenders. At the end of the match, U21 Song Lam Nghe An accepted defeat against U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

In the match at the same time, U21 Da Nang won 3-2 against U21 Thanh Hoa. With this result, U21 Da Nang ranked first in Group A, second place was U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai, U21 Song Lam Nghe An ranked third, but still won a ticket to the quarter-finals./.