V-League: Top team Nam Dinh almost lost at Thong Nhat Stadium

Nam Dinh Blue Steel was held to a 1-1 draw by the home team Ho Chi Minh City, which could see them narrow the gap in points with their opponents in the race for the championship.

In round 23 of the National Football Championship (V-League 1-2023/24) on the evening of June 15 at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City), Nam Dinh Blue Steel was held to a 1-1 draw by the home team, which could cause them to be narrowed by their opponents in the race to the championship.

Entering round 23, the away team Thep Xanh Nam Dinh is leading the rankings with 43 points, 6 points more than the second team Merryland Quy Nhon Binh Dinh and 7 points more than the third team Hanoi FC.

A victory over Ho Chi Minh City will help the team from the South to get one hand on the championship. This helps Coach Vu Hong Viet's players enter the match with determination.

Their opponent, Ho Chi Minh City, is in very good form in recent rounds. Along with that, the home field advantage helps Ho Chi Minh City confidently achieve good results to improve its position on the rankings, approaching the leading group.

Three wins with 9 absolute points in the last 3 matches helped the Thong Nhat Stadium team from the bottom group, rise to 7th place on the rankings.

The attacking efforts from the beginning of the match helped the away team Nam Dinh put significant pressure on the goal of goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang (number 89). They played quite freely on the attack, especially on the right wing with the mobility of Hendrio Araujo (number 10) and Rafaelson Bezerra (number 14), Van Toan (number 9).

This is also partly due to Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's choice of defensive counter-attacking play on the home side. The disciplined, somewhat cold style of play built by Mr. Phung Thanh Phuong for the "Red Battleship" continues to be effective against the opponent currently leading the V-League 2023/24.

It was not until the 27th minute that the home team had their first shot but it brought the opening goal. Midfielder Chu Van Kien (number 20) handled the ball neatly before unleashing a beautiful shot from outside the penalty area to defeat goalkeeper Nguyen Manh (number 26) of the away team.

At the beginning of the second half, Coach Vu Hong Viet of Nam Dinh Steel Blue sent players Nguyen Tuan Anh (No. 21), To Van Vu (No. 28) and Nguyen Phong Hong Duy (No. 7) onto the field to continue to focus on attacking to find an equalizer. Van Toan was still the bright spot in the attack, with his runs down the right wing, causing many difficulties for the home team's defense.

The visitors once scored against goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang in the 63rd minute but it was not recognized. In this situation, Hendrio's shot hit the post and bounced out, Tran Van Cong (number 37) tapped the ball into the net in an offside position. However, the visitors also scored an equalizer in the 80th minute. Midfielder Khac Ngoc (number 12) had an accurate cross for Rafaelson to finish close to the goal, sealing the 1-1 draw of the match.

Nam Dinh will have to wait for the results of two matches on Sunday (June 16) between LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Merryland Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, Hanoi FC and Cong An Hanoi to know the point gap with the chasing opponents behind.

However, a point earned in the 1-1 draw with Ho Chi Minh City still gives Nam Dinh a big advantage in the championship race. In the next round, they will return to Thien Truong Stadium to welcome Hong Linh Ha Tinh./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/v-league-doi-dau-bang-nam-dinh-suyt-trang-tay-tren-san-thong-nhat-post959345.vnp