League Play-Off

Son La
Spectators: 36 (Terracing: 28, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Lê Tong made the kick off which started today's match. Trần Thi took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Nguyễn Quang Thanh, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Lê Bay stood somewhat misplaced when Lê Tong came free in front of goal and shot 1-0 to the left of him in the 16 minute. Ha Long's Lê Bay played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Lê Tong in the 19th minute of play. In the 21st minute Nguyễn Minh shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Trần Thi saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Lê Tong received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 24th minute. Lê Bay tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 28 minutes into the game, Hoàng Nam was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Ha Long's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave manchester city the free kick. The long shot by Trần Khoi in the 28th minute really tested Lê Bay's skills. The ball was on its way into the goal to the left of him when he managed to stretch himself and save the shot and avoid a goal. 32 minutes into the match, Ha Long's goalkeeper Lê Bay had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Nguyễn Binh. Nguyễn Minh's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Trần Thi read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 34th minute of play. 37 minutes into the match, manchester city's goal looked a bit too open when Nguyễn Minh came free, but Trần Thi reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. The audience thought a goal was coming when Nguyễn Binh got free with Lê Bay in the 38th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. After a defensive mix-up in Ha Long's zone, Nguyễn Binh stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Lê Bay came out of the goal and Nguyễn Binh tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The away team players looked dejected as the walked off the pitch at half time. They had fought hard, but were still losing 1-0.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Nguyễn Minh made a kick off. In the 52nd minute, Ha Long's Nguyễn Minh ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Trần Thi. Trần Thi yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 1-1. After some fancy dribbling in the 59th minute, Lê Tong managed to get in a good position for a shot. manchester city's supporters rose to their feet, but Lê Tong was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Lê Bay breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Lê Bay made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Nguyễn Binh in the 59th minute of play. The supporters of manchester city booed when Ha Long was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 60 match minutes in a wonderful position. Hoàng Nam didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 61st minute Lê Tong shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Lê Bay saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 65th minute, Nguyễn Quang Thanh made a precise shot to the right of Trần Thi. manchester city's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-2. Trần Thi made an important save on a dangerous shot by Nguyễn Quang Thanh in the 80th minute. Nguyễn Binh fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 82nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Bay having to interfere. Nguyễn Binh fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 85th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Bay having to interfere. After 87 minutes, Nguyễn Quang Thanh made it 1-3 with a short kick to the right side. manchester city's Trần Thi tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. In the 89th minute, Hoàng Nam hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. The away crowd were delighted with the way their team had played and cheered loudly when the final whistle sounded. Ha Long walked away with the win, even though the match was close until the end.