Viettel almost lost to Thanh Hoa in the 'card storm' in V-League

Hanoi had one more player but had to rely on a penalty kick in extra time to draw Thanh Hoa 1-1 in round 2 of V-League 2023-2024.

In the 5th minute of extra time, when the score was 1-0 in Thanh Hoa's favor, Trinh Van Loi tackled Nguyen Hoang Duc in the penalty area. Referee Nguyen Manh Hai immediately awarded a penalty to Viettel. The slow-motion replay later also showed that the Thanh Hoa defender missed the ball and also swept Hoang Duc's supporting leg.

On the 11m mark, Bruno - the player who played for Thanh Hoa last season - shot hard into the top left corner, defeating goalkeeper Trinh Xuan Hoang to equalize for Viettel.

Trinh Van Loi fouled Nguyen Hoang Duc, leading to a penalty kick at the end of the match for Viettel, in the match at Hang Day Stadium on the evening of October 27. Photo: Hieu Luong

When his team was awarded a penalty, coach Velizar Popov looked frustrated. He walked in and out of the technical area, muttering to himself. The Bulgarian coach probably blamed his players for being careless at a sensitive moment, or perhaps regretted that his team could not win despite playing well on the attack and creating more chances.

In the 4th minute, striker Rimario headed the ball into Viettel's net but it was disallowed due to offside. About 13 minutes later, the referee awarded Thanh Hoa a penalty, because he thought that center back Nguyen Thanh Binh pushed Rimario in the penalty area. But after VAR intervened, the decision was revoked, making the foreign striker of the away team angry. In the 6th minute of injury time, if it weren't for the brilliance of goalkeeper Pham Van Phong, Viettel's net could have been blown up after consecutive shots from Rimaro and then A Mit.

After the break, Thanh Hoa's attacking efforts were also converted into goals. In the 67th minute, from a corner kick causing chaos in front of goalkeeper Pham Van Phong's goal, defender Trinh Van Loi quickly shot close to the goal to open the score.

Thanh Hoa players share joy with fans after Van Loi's opening goal. Photo: Hieu Luong

Falling behind, Viettel was forced to abandon their lurking style of play and push up their attacking formation. Young players Nham Manh Dung and Khuat Van Khang were also sent onto the field. However, facing Thanh Hoa's well-organized defense system, the home team's strikers rarely approached Trinh Xuan Hoang's goal. Being too busy attacking, Viettel could have even conceded a second goal if goalkeeper Van Phong had not been able to block Lam Ti Phong's powerful shot from a tight angle.

The turning point came in the 86th minute, when Thanh Hoa lost a man. During a dispute at the halfway line, player Doan Ngoc Ha, who entered the field in the second half, kicked Bruno straight in the face and received a direct red card.

With the advantage in personnel, Viettel played with all their might and got a point thanks to Bruno's penalty. However, the former champions may have to pay a heavy price for the problem of conductor Hoang Duc. After being fouled, the Vietnamese midfielder appeared to be in a lot of pain, had to seek medical attention and was carried off the field on a stretcher. A while later, he returned with his right leg taped. But when the match ended, Hoang Duc was lying on the field again, having to ask his teammates for help.

Referee Nguyen Manh Hai hugged Rimario to stop him from fighting with Viettel players. Photo: Hieu Luong

In addition to Van Loi’s red card, referee Manh Hai also issued nine yellow cards to players from both teams, two-thirds of which belonged to Viettel. He even had to rush in to hold Rimario in the 55th minute to avoid a fight when the away team’s player got angry after a foul by Bui Tien Dung.

This is the second consecutive draw between the two sides. In round 1, Viettel drew 1-1 with SLNA, while Thanh Hoa shared points with Ha Tinh with a score of 2-2.

Lam Thoa

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