Van Duc scored a double to help Song Lam Nghe An win 1 point at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Van Duc scored a double to help Song Lam Nghe An regain 1 point at Thong Nhat Stadium. Photo: Hai Hoang

No longer can we see the enthusiastic atmosphere in the stands of Thong Nhat Stadium like in previous seasons, whenLam River Nghe Ancame to visit Ho Chi Minh City. Instead, there was silence and indifference from the few fans who witnessed the match between the team at the bottom of the V.League 2022 table and the Nghe An club.

Entering round 21, the yellow team no longer has many goals for this season. Therefore, coach Huy Hoang decided not to use foreign players in the starting lineup. Instead, he prioritized the "stage" for young players to show off. Ho Van Cuong, Dinh Xuan Tien, Tran Dinh Tien are the strikers expected to bring a new breeze to the way Song Lam Nghe An plays.

Many young players were used by coach Huy Hoang in this match. Photo: Chung Le

However, as soon as the opening whistle blew, Ho Chi Minh City Club showed great determination. Coach Vu Tien Thanh's students quickly took control of the game and launched a preemptive attack on the opponent. With the pressure created, Ho Chi Minh City Club got what they needed in the 3rd minute of the match. The team from the city named after Uncle Ho was awarded a free kick on the left wing when Thai Ba Sang fouled Brendon Lucas in the penalty area. On the 11m mark, Lee Nguyen easily defeated Van Tien, opening the score for Ho Chi Minh City Club.

Heavy rain made Thong Nhat Stadium muddy, affecting the attacking ability of both teams. Photo: Chung Le

Before the match, heavy rain fell at Thong Nhat Stadium, making the field muddy. This greatly affected the passing play of the domestic players from Nghe An. The clearest evidence was that in the 20th minute of the match, Song Lam Nghe An launched a rather varied attack, the ball was passed to Dinh Hoang's feet. However, a large puddle in the penalty area prevented the defender wearing the number 66's control from going as planned, causing the Nghe An club to miss the opportunity to equalize the score.

Song Lam Nghe An's defense system did not play well in this match. Photo: Hai Hoang

Without foreign players in the squad, Song Lam Nghe An chose to approach Bui Tien Dung's goal by controlling the ball in short distances. This way of playing also created some dangerous situations for the Thong Nhat Stadium team. If luckier, Dinh Hoang could have scored from a long-range shot, right in front of the Ho Chi Minh City club's penalty area, in the 30th minute of the match. Unfortunately, this defender's shot missed Tien Dung's goal by a hair.

After the goal was scored, coach Vu Tien Thanh proactively chose a defensive counter-attacking style of play. Therefore, Song Lam Nghe An controlled the ball up to 65% and created 7 shots on the home team's goal. However, the shotsIn the end, coach Huy Hoang's students were not sharp enough to score against Bui Tien Dung.

Entering the second half, the Coaching Board of Song Lam Nghe An decided to put Olaha, Oseni, and Mario on the field with the hope of increasing the strength of the attack.

Van Duc shined in Song Lam Nghe An's draw with Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Chung Le

The presence of 3 foreign players brought positive signals in the attacking phases of Nghe An Club. From an attack on the right wing, Olaha dribbled the ball down the sideline, then passed it back inside to Phan Van Duc. The Vietnamese player fired a powerful, low shot that left Bui Tien Dung helpless. The score was equalized by Song Lam Nghe An in the 48th minute of the match.

After scoring the goal, it was thought that coach Huy Hoang's students would have the momentum to continue to make things difficult for their opponents. However, with a very weak defense system, Song Lam Nghe An had to pay the price with a goal in the 58th minute. Van Kien crossed from the right wing to Daniel Green, this striker tapped the ball from close range to beat Van Tien, raising the score to 2-1 for Ho Chi Minh City.

Conceding a goal, coach Huy Hoang sent Trong Hoang onto the field to replace Dinh Chau, in order to increase the attacking power of Nghe An Club. The presence of the Vietnamese player caused great pressure on the home team's goal. In the 76th minute, it seemed that the equalizer was very close for Song Lam Nghe An, but Bui Tien Dung had a brilliant reflex to deny Oseni's powerful shot in the penalty area.

However, coach Huy Hoang's students did not have to feel too regretful, because Phan Van Duc then scored, leveling the score for Song Lam Nghe An. The duo Van Duc and Olaha continued to play well with 1-2 passes in the midfield area, before the striker wearing the number 10 shirt made a reasonable pass, allowing the midfielder of the Vietnamese team to escape and shoot into the opponent's net.

In the final minutes, both teams played tit for tat. However, the result of the match remained 2-2.

Round 22, Song Lam Nghe An is off. On November 3, the Nghe team will return to compete in round 23 against Binh Duong at Vinh Stadium.