League

Hoa Binh
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Phan Phu made the kick off and thus started the match. After a rather tough play, Thai Nguyen's Hoàng Tuan got a free kick in the 5th minute. Viet Nam's Vũ Diem couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 5th minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Thai Nguyen. Đặng Duc fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 7th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Hung having to interfere. When Lê Van Tai Em fell near the penalty area in the 11th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Viet Nam's protests and gave Lê Van Tai Em a yellow card for diving instead. Lê Van Tai Em hit a great freekick 11 minutes into the match. Nguyễn Lam charged in rather forcefully in the 16th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Nguyễn Lam the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. A collision led to Thai Nguyen getting a freekick after 16 minutes play. Nguyễn Lam hit a great ball. If Vương Hoai had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 24th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Lê Hung took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Vương Hoai, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Phan Phu scored 0-1 in the 28th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Lê Lam, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. After 30 minutes, Vũ Diem mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Viet Nam and the Thai Nguyen players grew even worse after the yellow card. After a rather tough play, Viet Nam's Vũ Diem got a free kick in the 30th minute. In the 33rd minute, Đặng Duc made a precise shot to the right of Lê Hung. Thai Nguyen's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-1. Thanks to some nice moves Đặng Duc could shoot a difficult shot in the 37th minute, which Lê Hung however easily saved by the left post. Đặng Duc recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 43rd minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. If Nguyễn Anh Hung had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 47th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Phan Phu sent away a hard shot on goal in the 47th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Vương Hoai was the one to do the kick off. After a defensive mix-up in Viet Nam's zone, Nguyễn Anh Hung stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Lê Lam came out of the goal and Nguyễn Anh Hung tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Đặng Duc fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 60th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Hung having to interfere. Thai Nguyen's Lê Hung played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Vương Hoai in the 61st minute of play. Lê Lam was out of position in the 64 minute of play, and Phan Phu capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Phan Phu really showed his touch with that goal: 1-2. Dương Quang's late challenge caught a Viet Nam's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Dương Quang helped the player get up and apologised. In the 68th minute, Dương Quang hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. A collision led to Viet Nam getting a freekick after 72 minutes play. Nguyễn Hanh hit a great ball. 80 minutes into the match, Viet Nam's Đặng Duc sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Lê Hung narrowly saved just below the crossbar. An unexpectedly hard shot by Vương Hoai in the 81st minute of play forced Thai Nguyen's goalkeeper Lê Hung to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Phan Phu received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 86th minute. Lê Lam tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 88th minute, Nguyễn Tấn Dũng hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Lê Hung made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Vũ Diem in the 89th minute of play. In the 92nd minute, Phan Phu 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. 95 minutes into the match, Viet Nam's goalkeeper Lê Lam had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Nguyễn Anh Hung. In the 96th minute Đặng Duc shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Lê Hung saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Thai Nguyen's supporters were very happy and cheered loudly because their team had won after a very close match.