League Play-Off

Thai Binh
Spectators: 36 (Terracing: 28, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Nguyễn Tu took the kick off in the first half of the match. 9 minutes into the match, Soc Trang's goalkeeper Phan Tuan Hoang had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Văn Chuong. Phan Tuan Hoang made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Nguyễn Tu in the 19th minute of play. 25 minutes into the match, Than Quang Ninh FC's goal looked a bit too open when Trần Hoang came free, but Huỳnh Anh Hung reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Trần Hoang fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 30th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Huỳnh Anh Hung having to interfere. After some fancy dribbling in the 31st minute, Nguyễn Ritchell managed to get in a good position for a shot. Soc Trang's supporters rose to their feet, but Nguyễn Ritchell was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Huỳnh Anh Hung breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Phan Tuan Hoang made a fantastic save in the 34th minute, when Văn Chuong sent off a good shot on target. When Hồ Thai fell near the penalty area in the 36th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Than Quang Ninh FC's protests and gave Hồ Thai a yellow card for diving instead. After 37 played minutes Than Quang Ninh FC got a freekick which was hit by Hồ Thai. Phan Hung was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 38th played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. When Nguyễn Ritchell came up free with the goalie in the 40th minute, the Soc Trang 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 Nguyễn Ritchell couldn't finish the play. Phan Tuan Hoang stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Nguyễn Tu's shot from short distance in the 44th minute. After a rather tough play, Soc Trang's Nguyễn Tran got a free kick in the 45th minute. After fighting hard for a draw in the first half, the players were able to take a much needed rest.

In the 51stth minute of the game Văn Chuong who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Soc Trang's Phan Tuan Hoang was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. After 52 played minutes Soc Trang got a freekick which was hit by Nguyễn Tran. Than Quang Ninh FC's Hồ Thai couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 53rd minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Soc Trang. After a defensive mix-up in Than Quang Ninh FC's zone, Văn Phuong stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Huỳnh Anh Hung came out of the goal and Văn Phuong tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The audience was convinced that Nguyễn Ritchell's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Huỳnh Anh Hung was relentless in the 61st minute of the game. After 64 played minutes Soc Trang got a freekick which was hit by Nguyễn Pham. The supporters of Than Quang Ninh FC booed when Soc Trang was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 65 match minutes in a wonderful position. Nguyễn Pham didn't get a good kick on the ball. If Văn Chuong had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 68th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. In the 74th minute, Vũ Hoai hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. When Nguyễn Ritchell came up free with the goalie in the 80th minute, the Soc Trang 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 Nguyễn Ritchell couldn't finish the play. The audience was convinced that Nguyễn Tu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Phan Tuan Hoang was relentless in the 84th minute of the game. Nguyễn Ritchell fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 86th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Huỳnh Anh Hung having to interfere. Nguyễn Tu received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 88th minute. Phan Tuan Hoang tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Phan Hung during the 91st minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Phan Hung hit a great freekick 91 minutes into the match. Both teams had looked equal from kick-off, and no-one was surprised when the match finally ended in a draw.