Although they are in the same group of relegation races in the 2nd phase of the V-League 2023, the position of SLNA is different from the HCMC club. The Nghe team had 16 points before this match, the same good performance under the new head coach Phan Nhu Thuat. At the opposite extreme, Ho Chi Minh City Club ranked 13th, just 1 point better than Binh Duong Club. Coach Vu Tien Thanh’s team lost 9 matches in 13 matches in phase 1, including a 1-2 defeat at Vinh stadium against SLNA.
In the rematch at Vinh’s “pan of fire”, SLNA once again knocked down the Ho Chi Minh City club. Although the presence of goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang helped the Ho Chi Minh team improve somewhat in defense, coach Vu Tien Thanh’s students could only hold out against the host in the first half.
Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang (red shirt) made his debut for the HCMC team
Ho Chi Minh City Club struggles to defend
With intense pressure, SLNA scored 2 goals against the HCMC club. In the 68th minute, Vietnam U.23 player Dinh Xuan Tien headed in to open the match, causing the defense of the HCMC team to collapse. In the 80th minute, Manh Quynh extinguished the hope of the Ho Chi Minh City team when he shot extremely dangerously, setting a 2-0 victory for SLNA.
Defeating HCM City Club, SLNA maintained the top position of the relegation race group in stage 2 with 19 points. Due to 11 points higher than the bottom team and only 4 rounds left in stage 2, SLNA is almost certainly safe. Meanwhile, HCM City club fell to the bottom of the table with only 8 points after 14 matches. Having the same score as Binh Duong Club, but coach Vu Tien Thanh’s team is behind due to poor goal difference. A series of difficult days awaits the team nicknamed “Red Battleship”, in the context that HCMC FC has only 4 matches left to save themselves.
SLNA (white shirt) got all 3 points