League Play-Off

Thanh Hoa
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Yen Bai's Lê Khoi started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. An unexpectedly hard shot by Nguyễn Dong in the 4th minute of play forced Yen Bai's goalkeeper Nguyễn Hoa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Trần Hoang fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 14th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Nguyễn Hoa having to interfere. Nguyễn Dong's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Nguyễn Hoa read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 15th minute of play. Trần Thanh charged in rather forcefully in the 17th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Trần Thanh the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Lê Cadeo went to the wrong direction when Nguyễn Viet was taking care of the penalty kick which however missed the goal. Lê Cadeo made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Nguyễn Thuy in the 22nd minute of play. In the 24th minute, Lê Khoi made a precise shot to the right of Lê Cadeo. Thanh Hoa's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-2. A collision led to Thanh Hoa getting a freekick after 27 minutes play. Trần Anh Hung hit a great ball. Nguyễn Thuy received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 36th minute. Lê Cadeo tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 40 minutes into the match, Trần Hoang had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Nguyễn Hoa. Yen Bai's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Trần Hoang was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-2. Lê Khoi received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 43rd minute. Lê Cadeo tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Lê Khoi sent away a hard shot on goal in the 46th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Nguyễn Dong to make the kick off. Nguyễn Hoa showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Nguyễn Dong in the 51st minute of the match. Lê Cadeo made an important save on a dangerous shot by Nguyễn Thuy in the 52nd minute. If Nguyễn Thuy had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 54th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. After 55 minutes, Nguyễn Cuc mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Thanh Hoa and the Yen Bai players grew even worse after the yellow card. The supporters of Yen Bai booed when Thanh Hoa was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 55 match minutes in a wonderful position. Nguyễn Cuc didn't get a good kick on the ball. Nguyễn Thuy fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 58th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Cadeo having to interfere. If Nguyễn Thuy had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 60th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. When Phan Thanh Bình fell near the penalty area in the 77th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Thanh Hoa's protests and gave Phan Thanh Bình a yellow card for diving instead. The supporters of Yen Bai booed when Thanh Hoa was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 77 match minutes in a wonderful position. Phan Thanh Bình didn't get a good kick on the ball. Nguyễn Dong sent away a hard shot on goal in the 80th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 83rd match minute, Yen Bai was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Nguyễn Viet to maneuver through the defense. Nguyễn Hoa showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Nguyễn Dong, who was totally free with the ball in the 84th minute. 91 minutes into the match, Yen Bai's Nguyễn Viet broke free and took a long shot that unfortunately flew wide. A fine initiative that could have resulted in a goal. Lê Dung charged in rather forcefully in the 93rd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Lê Dung the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. A collision led to Thanh Hoa getting a freekick after 93 minutes play. Lê Dung hit a great ball. When the match was over Yen Bai could go home with a victory in their luggage, having controlled the game far better than Thanh Hoa throughout the match.