Vo Ngoc Duc: Marcelo from Nghe An!

(Baonghean.vn) -In SLNA's recent victory over FLC Thanh Hoa, people talked a lot about Ho Tuan Tai's only goal, Odat's missed shots, Ho Khac Ngoc's technical ball handling, Tran Phi Son's missed goal... But there was one person whose name no one mentioned, even though his performance was equally excellent, that was left-back Vo Ngoc Duc.

In the situation where the Nghe An team's defense is devastated due to injury and card problems, the player from Quynh Luu is always trusted by coach Ngo Quang Truong for the left-back position. In recent matches, SLNA often plays with a constantly changing defense, but on the left wing is still the presence of the player wearing the number 3 shirt. The record of winning all 3 consecutive matches against HAGL, Long An and FLC Thanh Hoa is in no small part due to the defender who just turned 22 years old.

In the North Central derby, Technical Director Le Thuy Hai arranged for Nguyen Tang Tuan to play in the right midfield position. With the aim of penetrating the left wing of the Nghe An team, then launching crosses or flipping the ball inside to give Sunday and Hoang Dinh Tung a chance to score against goalkeeper Nguyen Manh.

However, that plan was quickly ruined by Vo Ngoc Duc's certainty and alertness. Not giving up, the strategist from Ha Dong instructed foreign player Sunday to move to the right wing to join Tang Tuan and Dinh Dong, aiming to break through the wall defended by Vo Ngoc Duc. With a fierce playing style, not afraid of collisions and intelligence in judging situations, the left-back wearing the number 3 shirt made the Thanh team's flank attacks become dangerous.

Still not giving up, Technical Director Le Thuy Hai took Tang Tuan out and replaced him with Le Quoc Phuong. It seemed that the more Vo Ngoc Duc played, the more precise he became, not giving the opponent any space to exploit. Realizing that his strategy was not effective, Mr. Hai "lo" had to order his students to switch to the right wing of the Nghe team, in order to find an opportunity to approach the home team's goal.

Not only showing his good defensive ability, Vo Ngoc Duc also made the opposing team's defense suffer many times. Right after the opening whistle, this defender confidently held the ball and rushed forward like an arrow, leaving his former teammate Tran Dinh Dong helpless, and forced the former SLNA player to commit a foul right at the edge of the FLC Thanh Hoa penalty area. Many times, Vo Ngoc Duc tore apart the right wing of the away team, making very uncomfortable crosses that made goalkeeper Thanh Thang's goal wobble. During the entire first half, right-back Tran Dinh Dong rarely crossed the midfield line because he was wary of Vo Ngoc Duc's quick runs.

Although he is a defender, the individual technique of the player from Quynh Luu is quite skillful. He is ready to keep the ball, coordinate 1-2 with his teammates, and boldly dribble the ball before the opponent's players' pursuit. It is not an exaggeration to say that Vo Ngoc Duc is an extremely dangerous drill on the left wing of the Nghe An team. In the match at Vinh Stadium on the afternoon of August 13, the mobility of the left-back born in 1994, along with Baba and Khac Ngoc, Tuan Tai always put the FLC Thanh Hoa goal in an alarming position. The second yellow card of center-back Bat Hieu also came from an attack on the left wing of SLNA.

The performance against FLC Thanh Hoa was not the first or rare match that Vo Ngoc Duc left an impression on experts and fans of Nghe An. He was promoted to the first team in 2014 by the SLNA club's management to gain experience and be a backup for Tran Dinh Dong. In the first season, Vo Ngoc Duc rarely played on the field.

But everything changed quickly, when in the last rounds Tran Dinh Dong was suspended for a dangerous tackle on Anh Hung (HV An Giang), in the remaining 7 matches of V.League 2014, Vo Ngoc Duc was arranged by coach Nguyen Huu Thang in the starting lineup. In the match between SLNA and Than Quang Ninh, Vo Ngoc Duc scored his first goal in V.League, helping the Nghe An team to make an extraordinary comeback.

Thanks to his good performance in the matches of V.League 2014, the player from Quynh Luu was called by Coach Miura to the preliminary list of the Vietnam Olympic team to participate in the 17th Asiad. However, the left-back of SLNA was not included in the Olympic team to Korea. However, the days of training under the guidance of Coach Miura were a useful experience for Vo Ngoc Duc's football career.

Entering V.League 2015 with many expectations, but injury forced Vo Ngoc Duc to sit out for 7 months. This was extremely unfortunate for both Vo Ngoc Duc and SLNA. The long suspension prevented Tran Dinh Dong from being in the best form, so the left wing of the Nghe An team became a weak point in last season. Vo Ngoc Duc missed the opportunity to attend the Sea Games in Singapore.

This season, Tran Dinh Dong moved to FLC Thanh Hoa, once again the coaching staff and fans put their hopes on the 1994-born defender on the left wing. Having just returned after a period of injury, Vo Ngoc Duc had some unsatisfactory matches. There were times when it seemed like this player would lose his starting position to defender Pham Manh Hung.

With his constant efforts and carefulness in his rare appearances, the player wearing the number 3 shirt has convinced coach Ngo Quang Truong and even the most demanding audience. With his current form, the left position of SLNA's defense cannot be reserved for anyone other than Vo Ngoc Duc.

Possessing a rather unusual left leg, along with the ability to attack and defend tirelessly, Vo Ngoc Duc reminds many people of the Brazilian left-back who plays for Real Madrid. Since Van Sy Son retired (2004), SLNA has always been in a state of lacking a quality left-back position.

Names like Nguyen Lam Tan, Truong Dac Khanh... are just "short-lived" talents. Just turned 22 this year, hopefully in the future the player from Quynh Luu will go even further. In the near future he will be a pillar of SLNA, and maybe in the near future he will play for the Vietnam national team in international tournaments.

Le Thanh Hung