SLNA changes general to change fortunes in V-League

SLNA defeated TP HCM 2-1 in round 11 of V-League 2023 on June 6, in the debut match of new coach Phan Nhu Thuat.

Before this round, SLNA had gone through three matches with only draws and losses, facing the risk of not being able to enter the top 8 to compete for the championship in V-League 2023. The leadership of the Nghe An team therefore accepted the resignation request of coach Nguyen Huy Hoang, bringing in former player Phan Nhu Thuat to replace him.

Coach Phan Nhu Thuat (left) won his first match in the V-League. Photo: Thanh Chung

In his debut match, coach Phan Nhu Thuat, born in 1984, let his players calmly hold the ball, coordinate short passes from the defense, and gradually pressure Ho Chi Minh City. When they advanced to the opponent's third of the field, they often unexpectedly made high passes into the penalty area for foreign players.

From this attack, the home team scored two consecutive goals, both from crosses from the left wing. In the 18th minute, Mai Sy Hoang received the ball after a corner kick, crossed it inside for Jordy Soladio to tap the ball into the net from close range to open the score. Seven minutes later, Jordy Soladio played the role of creator when he used his head to return the ball after a cross from the left wing, for Michael Olaha to slide in and score.

SLNA separated the lines of TP HCM, making it impossible for the opponent to hold the ball to organize an attack. However, just a moment of lapse in concentration, losing the ball to Tran Nam Hai in the 35th minute, they let TP HCM score. Hoang Vu Samson punished the opponent with a great goal, shooting from about 35 meters, sending the ball straight into the top corner of the goal. Goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet jumped as far as he could but could not touch the ball. This goal also showed that defense is a big problem for SLNA this season. Since the beginning of the tournament, they have only had one clean sheet, when they drew 0-0 with Thanh Hoa in round 2.

Jordy Soladio scored one goal and assisted another to help SLNA defeat TP HCM. Photo: Thanh Chung

In the second half, coach Phan Nhu Thuat made three personnel changes, sending Ho Van Cuong, Dinh Xuan Tien and Tran Dinh Hoang onto the field to control the midfield and block Ho Chi Minh City's attacks from afar.

This multi-layered defense system made it impossible for the visitors to develop the ball. Coach Vu Tien Thanh's team was impatient, hastily trying to pass the ball high to approach Van Viet's goal. However, those crosses were not accurate, not even a single shot was on target. The most notable situation that Ho Chi Minh City had was a shot from outside the penalty area, sending the ball just wide of the goal in the fourth minute of extra time by Uong Ngoc Tien.

Defeating TP HCM, coach Phan Nhu Thuat had a successful debut, leading the team to 10th place with 12 points. They are only three points behind the eighth-placed Nam Dinh, so they still have hope of competing for the championship in the second stage instead of having to fight for relegation. On the contrary, TP HCM is stuck in the second-to-last position, with only seven points after 11 matches, one point more than the bottom-placed Da Nang.

Lam Thoa

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/slna-thay-tuong-doi-van-o-v-league-4614416.html