League

Vinh Long
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Đặng Duy started the match with the kick off. In the 6th minute the ball was on its way in behind Dong Ha's goalkeeper Vũ Hoang, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. An unexpectedly hard shot by Trần Chuong in the 8th minute of play forced Vinh Long's goalkeeper Trần Cuc to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Trần Chuong fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 11th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Trần Cuc having to interfere. 14 minutes into the match, Trần Chuong notched a goal, 0-1, to the right of Vinh Long's Trần Cuc. Trần Cuc was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. Dong Ha's Trần Chuong got a good chance for a goal in the 22nd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. In the 25th minute Trần Chuong shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Trần Cuc saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. When Trần Tan came up free with the goalie in the 26th minute, the Dong Ha fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Trần Tan couldn't finish the play. If Nguyễn Tấn Dũng had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 28th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Vinh Long's Đặng Duy got a good chance for a goal in the 33rd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Đặng Duy sent away a hard shot on goal in the 38th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to Dong Ha getting a freekick after 39 minutes play. La Phuoc hit a great ball. In the 46th minute of the match Nguyễn Duc sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Vũ Hoang skillfully saved the ball. In the 48th minute, Trần Chuong left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Dong Ha fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-2. Luck had favoured the away team in the first, and they walked off with a 0-2 lead.

The wind increased when Trần Chuong made the kick off in the second half. Nguyễn Hieu Ngan sent away a hard shot on goal in the 54th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Đặng Duy sent away a hard shot on goal in the 58th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to Vinh Long getting a freekick after 60 minutes play. Nguyễn Hieu Ngan hit a great ball. After 62 played minutes Dong Ha got a freekick which was hit by Nguyễn Phong. Vũ Hoang made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Đặng Duy in the 65th minute of play. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Trần Chuong in the 68th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Trần Cuc saved Vinh Long from getting behind. Trần Tan sent away a hard shot on goal in the 69th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Vũ Hoang made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Đặng Duy in the 78th minute of play. Trần Chuong 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. Trần Cuc took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Trần Chuong, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 84 minutes, Lâm Duc mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Vinh Long and the Dong Ha players grew even worse after the yellow card. In the 84th match minute, Vinh Long was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Lâm Duc to maneuver through the defense. In the 85th minute, Trần Chuong got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Vinh Long's Nguyễn Tấn Dũng got a good chance for a goal in the 89th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. The audience thought a goal was coming when Trần Tan got free with Trần Cuc in the 92nd minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. The Dong Ha supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Dong Ha would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.