'HAGL is not racing to win the championship'

Coach Le Quang Trai believes that young HAGL players will learn a lot from the loss to Binh Duong Club.

HAGL's heavy defeat

The 1-4 loss in Binh Duong took away the top spot from HAGL Club, along with the record of the number 1 defense in V-League 2024 - 2025 being broken. From only conceding 2 goals in 5 matches, coach Le Quang Trai and his team conceded 4 goals at Go Dau Stadium on November 2.

In fact, it was a match where the players from the mountain town played well, playing on par despite being away. They even took the lead after center-back Ly Duc joined the attack and headed home in the 23rd minute.

HAGL also had a chance to double the gap in a quick counter-attack when they had an extra man after Tien Linh's penalty hit the post but failed to take advantage, leading to being caught off guard when Binh Duong Club counter-attacked and scored an equalizer 1-1 by Tien Linh in the 35th minute.

Just 10 minutes later, another moment of lapse in concentration by the defense as the first half entered extra time was punished when Tien Linh scored the second goal, helping Binh Duong Club enter the break with a 2-1 lead.

The counterattack failed, leading to HAGL being tied 1-1 by Binh Duong Club.

The two goals conceded in the second half by HAGL were inevitable as the young players' spirit was affected by individual errors, while the home team was full of enthusiasm, as Viet Cuong and Minh Khoa confidently scored beautiful goals.

Lessons for young players

Coach Le Quang Trai said this defeat will help HAGL's young players learn valuable lessons: "After the defeat, HAGL Club sat down together to analyze why we conceded 4 goals. We have many things to correct.

HAGL will have to find out why they lost so easily, whether it was due to individual errors or the team's defensive system. In the last match, HAGL's transition between defense and attack was slow, allowing the opponent to score. We will have to build and guide the players to better transition states."

According to Mr. Trai, most V-League teams have an analysis department, so information about playing style and important indicators are collected thoroughly and intuitively.

Ly Duc scored the opening goal for HAGL from a set piece situation.

However, the former central defender of the Vietnamese national team believes that this does not mean that HAGL has been figured out, because from the data to the implementation of the approach and how to promote the playing style is another matter. He believes that the defeat in Binh Duong will help HAGL to be more alert, to become stronger.

Coach Le Quang Trai said: "HAGL has studied the playing style of Binh Duong Club and has a good approach, but after making mistakes, it shows mentality. HAGL has some young players, not experienced enough to calmly control emotions in tense matches.

The important thing is what lessons are learned after the match, how to re-evaluate the playing style, and try to improve to progress. HAGL will stand up to be stronger. The strategy of the team and the leadership is not to compete to win the championship.

We create conditions for young players trained by HAGL to gain experience and compete a lot. That of course affects professional preparation. But the coaching board accepts the risk of mistakes, and believes that the players will gradually improve."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-le-quang-trai-hagl-khong-dua-top-de-vo-dich-185241104175229353.htm