HAGL is about to successfully stay in the league: Winning a thrilling match against The Cong Viettel in the 99th minute, the peak of drama!

HAGL defends hard

The defeat of Binh Dinh Club at Tam Ky Stadium in Da Nang has given HAGL a big advantage in the relegation race. If they defeat The Cong Viettel in the match taking place at 5pm in the 22nd round of V-League, Coach Le Quang Trai's students will have 27 points, 8 points more than Binh Dinh (playing 1 more match than their opponent). This is a relatively safe point to stay in V-League.

Winning against The Cong Viettel was not easy. The army team started impressively under coach Velizar Popov when they crushed Da Nang Club with a score of 6-0 in the previous round. Coach Popov also had the strongest squad, while HAGL was missing Chau Ngoc Quang, Dinh Quang Kiet and 2 officials due to penalties from the tournament organizers.

Highlight HAGL Club 2-1 Viettel The Cong Club | Round 22 V-League 2024-2025

Viettel The Cong (white shirt) pressed the field

PHOTO: VIETTEL THE CONG CLUB

However, playing on Pleiku field is not simple, because HAGL often plays well in familiar field space, grass and distance. The "fortress" of the mountain town is very suitable for HAGL to deploy a defensive counter-attacking strategy. That is also how HAGL held The Cong Viettel back throughout the first half.

HAGL's two-tiered defense, aggressive, determined and methodical play, made things difficult for The Cong Viettel. In the 2nd minute, Nguyen Duc Chien tested HAGL goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien's ability with a long-range shot, but the 2003-born goalkeeper dove to catch it. In the 21st minute, it was Truong Tien Anh's turn to shoot from a distance with great power, forcing goalkeeper Trung Kien to take two steps to catch the ball.

With superior attacking quality, Viettel The Cong Club dominated the game. The right wing with striker Tien Anh became a potentially dangerous attacking area. In the 22nd minute, Tien Anh dribbled past the HAGL defender and passed the ball back to Nguyen Huu Thang for a shot. However, Dung Quang Nho used his whole body to block the ball.

Minute 28, another long shot. This time the one who took the shot was Wesley Nata, the ball was beyond Trung Kien's reach but hit the crossbar. Long shots are the way for The Cong Viettel to find the most opportunities. Minute 32, Duc Chien switched to a long shot with his left foot, forcing Trung Kien to fly as far as he could to save the goal.

Last minute drama

Despite many attacks without scoring, The Cong Viettel had to pay the price. In the 56th minute, Tran Minh Vuong took a free kick with the point hanging towards the far corner. Quang Nho headed the ball back to the center for Jairo Rodrigues to jump high and finish accurately, putting HAGL ahead.

However, The Cong Viettel did not give up. Coach Popov's students rushed forward to attack and had a "sweet fruit" in the 69th minute. Nham Manh Dung dribbled into the penalty area and fell after colliding with Tran Thanh Son. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and on the 11m mark, Pedro Henrique neatly placed the ball into the left corner to equalize for The Cong Viettel.

In the final minutes of the match, The Cong Viettel attacked continuously, while HAGL struggled to endure the pressure. In the 85th minute, Tien Anh cleverly kicked a corner kick to Khuat Van Khang waiting in the second line, but the 22-year-old defender swung his foot and shot wide of the post.

The drama of the match came in the 90+9 minute, when HAGL won the ball and organized a powerful counterattack that penetrated the left wing of Viettel's The Cong. Quang Nho ended the beautiful attack with a close-range tap-in, sealing a thrilling 2-1 victory for HAGL. The referee waited 6 minutes for VAR to check before recognizing the goal.

With the valuable victory, HAGL rose to eighth place with 27 points, 8 points more than Binh Dinh. It is almost certain that coach Le Quang Trai and his team will stay in the league!

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-sap-tru-hang-thanh-cong-thang-nghet-tho-the-cong-viettel-phut-99-dinh-cao-kich-tinh-185250511182428355.htm