Ho Chi Minh City
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000,
Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Lê Chi took the kick off in the first half of the match. In the 2nd minute, Nguyễn Minh Phượng hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Huỳnh Quang Thanh in the 5th minute of play forced Ho Chi Minh City's goalkeeper Lê Thi to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 7 minutes into the match, Huỳnh Quang Thanh notched a goal, 0-1, to the right of Ho Chi Minh City's Lê Thi. Lê Thi was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. In the 10th minute, Huỳnh Quang Thanh made a precise shot to the right of Lê Thi. Ho Chi Minh City's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-2. After having played for 18 minutes, Lê Chi managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Ho Chi Minh City's supporters crossed their fingers, but Lê Chi was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 19 played minutes Crazy Man got a freekick which was hit by Nguyễn Phu. If Nguyễn Minh Phượng had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 20th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 23 minutes into the match, Crazy Man's goalkeeper Nguyễn Hoang had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Nguyễn Minh Phượng. In the 24th minute, Đoàn Quang Thanh hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Đỗ Thanh Bình fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 25th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Lê Thi having to interfere. After 28 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Crazy Man! The audience was convinced that Lê Chi's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Nguyễn Hoang was relentless in the 34th minute of the game. In the 37th minute, Lê Chi 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. Nguyễn Hoang didn't succeed to prevent the ball from going into goal when Ho Chi Minh City's Nguyễn Minh Phượng shot an unexpected shot in the crossbar's under edge and made 2-2 in the ordered_time% minute. Lê Chi received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 45th minute. Nguyễn Hoang tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 2-2 after a close first half.
When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Huỳnh Quang Thanh made a kick off. The audience was convinced that Nguyễn Minh Phượng's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Nguyễn Hoang was relentless in the 60th minute of the game. In the 64th minute the ball was on its way in behind Crazy Man's goalkeeper Nguyễn Hoang, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. After some fancy dribbling in the 66th minute, Huỳnh Quang Thanh managed to get in a good position for a shot. Crazy Man's supporters rose to their feet, but Huỳnh Quang Thanh was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Lê Thi breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. In the 69th minute, Nguyễn Minh Phượng 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. In the 71st minute the ball was on its way in behind Crazy Man's goalkeeper Nguyễn Hoang, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Ho Chi Minh City's Nguyễn Minh Phượng got a good chance for a goal in the 74th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. When the match had gone on for 78 minutes, Nguyễn Minh Phượng put it in 4-2 from a short distance just to the right of Nguyễn Hoang. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Lê Chi in the 86th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Nguyễn Hoang saved Crazy Man from getting behind. After a defensive mix-up in Crazy Man's zone, Lê Chi stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Nguyễn Hoang came out of the goal and Lê Chi tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. After some careless play in the Crazy Man defense, Nguyễn Minh Phượng kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Nguyễn Hoang. The Crazy Man fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Nguyễn Hoang should have stopped the shot. After a defensive mix-up in Ho Chi Minh City's zone, Đỗ Thanh Bình stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Lê Thi came out of the goal and Đỗ Thanh Bình tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Crazy Man's Huỳnh Quang Thanh got a good chance for a goal in the 98th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. When the referee ended the match the Ho Chi Minh City players were able to celebrate. They had won a fair victory and recieved the ovations of their fans.
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