Defeating CAHN Club, The Cong Viettel won the first leg of V-League

Tien Anh helps The Cong Viettel rise up

The Cong Viettel Club is the team that "enemies" the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN Club). Although their strength and weakness vary from time to time, Quang Hai and his teammates always have the possibility of drawing or losing when facing The Cong Viettel. The solid defensive play and lightning-fast counterattacks of The Cong Viettel not only restrain the CAHN Club, but are also a nightmare for teams that like to control the ball.

The confidence of The Cong Viettel was shown in the way they approached the match. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's team only had 3 attacking players including Pedro Henrique, Nham Manh Dung and Amarildo up front, but still created trouble for the CAHN club's defense. In the 5th minute, Pedro broke through bravely on the left edge of the penalty area and shot from a narrow angle, but goalkeeper Nguyen Filip saved the goal.

Truong Tien Anh (red shirt) made a difference with a beautiful left-footed long-range shot.

It was not until the 15th minute that CAHN Club had a response. In the 15th minute, seeing goalkeeper Pham Van Phong moving up, Phan Van Duc took a bold long-range shot. However, the ball did not have enough spin to get past the control of The Cong Viettel goalkeeper.

The difference came in the 20th minute, when Truong Tien Anh overcame the CAHN club defense with a star moment. Taking advantage of the situation where the ball was cleared out of the penalty area by the away team's center-back Hugo Gomes, Tien Anh jumped up and used a fake move to push the ball to his left foot to eliminate the opponent's defender, then shot extremely dangerously to the near corner. The ball bounced off the post into the net, leaving goalkeeper Nguyen Filip helpless.

Tien Anh's goal marked a turning point, bringing the match in a predictable direction. The Cong Viettel retreated to defend with a large number of people, while the CAHN Club pressed forward. However, just like the previous matches between the two teams, the CAHN Club had more possession of the ball, but struggled against the disciplined and tightly covered defense of the home team The Cong Viettel.

The Cong Viettel (left) defended tightly

It was not until the end of the first half that CAHN Club found... a second shot, when Le Pham Thanh Long's long-range shot went over the bar. The rest, Nguyen Quang Hai, Leo Artur or Alan Grafite could not find a way into Van Phong's goal.

Tense battle of wits

In the second half, CAHN Club took the risk of pushing up their formation. Instead of passing the ball in the midfield, the visitors exploited the space on the wings more, with crosses for Artur and Grafite to find opportunities. This approach helped coach Alexandre Polking's students play freely and have more dangerous situations.

But, facing a solid defense led by captain Bui Tien Dung of The Cong Viettel, CAHN Club still could not penetrate the "wall" at My Dinh Stadium.

Coach Polking's attacking style of play was like a "double-edged sword", and CAHN Club paid the price in the 67th minute. Nguyen Huu Thang made a quality left-footed pass in the home field for Amarildo to accelerate from... midfield, before the home team's foreign player defeated goalkeeper Nguyen Filip in a face-to-face position, raising the score to 2-0.

Amarildo shines

With a safe gap, The Cong Viettel Club comfortably deployed their favorite counter-attacking style of play. Continuous scoring opportunities were created, but both Amarildo and Tan Tai missed. On the other hand, the CAHN Club's attacks became more and more deadlocked and disjointed, as the satellites could not find each other.

CAHN Club's efforts were only rewarded with Leo Artur's goal in the 85th minute, with a decisive shot that hit Van Phong's net. However, The Cong Viettel played solidly to protect the fragile 1-goal gap.

Defeating CAHN Club, The Cong Viettel won the first leg of V-League 2024 - 2025 with 25 points after 13 matches. Meanwhile, CAHN Club ranked 7th with 17 points.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/danh-bai-clb-cahn-the-cong-viettel-vo-dich-luot-di-v-league-185250219201533357.htm