Ho Chi Minh City Club regrettably missed out on victory

Ho Chi Minh City FC welcomed SLNA in a situation where many key players were missing due to injuries and suspensions. Without midfielder Endrick Dos Santos to lead the midfield, the home team was overwhelmed by the opponent in terms of ball possession.

In attack, the absence of foreign striker Joao Pedro left Ho Chi Minh City FC struggling to develop the ball and find goals. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's patchwork of personnel changes only helped the "red battleship" keep a clean sheet in the first half.

In the beginning of the second half, due to a defensive mistake, Ho Chi Minh City Club had to concede a goal, when Olaha successfully executed a penalty kick in the 55th minute, helping SLNA open the score of the match.

With nothing to lose, the home team sent veteran players like Thanh Thao and Ngoc Long onto the field in an attempt to change the game. After a corner kick, centre-back Duarte Rocha Matheus jumped high to head the ball home to level the score at 1-1 for Ho Chi Minh City FC in the 69th minute.

The equalizer helped the team of coach Phung Thanh Phuong to be more excited and almost had a comeback to win if they had taken advantage of the "delicious" scoring opportunity in the final minutes of the match.

With 20 points after 17 rounds, Ho Chi Minh City FC is temporarily ranked 11th on the rankings. Meanwhile, SLNA continues to be in the bottom 3 teams of the rankings and still faces the risk of relegation.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/clb-tp-hcm-hut-chien-thang-dang-tiec-196250406213406775.htm