Despite scoring early, HAGL were held to a 1-1 draw by Binh Duong in the fourth round of the V-League on the afternoon of December 3rd.
After three opening rounds with only one draw and two losses, HAGL changed its name and acquired a new sponsor , LPBank . Before today's fourth round, they had an advantage as they didn't have to play in the National Cup and had their strongest squad available with new signing Jhon Cley eligible to play, but Kiatisuk's team still failed to improve.
Van Son (left) celebrates scoring the opening goal in the 2nd minute of HAGL's 1-1 draw against Binh Duong at Pleiku Stadium in Round 4 of the V-League on the afternoon of December 3rd. Photo: Minh Tran
At Pleiku Stadium, HAGL got off to a good start with the opening goal in the second minute, when Le Van Son tapped the ball into the net from Minh Vuong's corner kick. But Binh Duong, with a quality squad of domestic players such as Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Hai Quy, Tien Linh, and Viet Vuong, showed they were not an easy opponent to bully. After conceding an early goal, the visitors confidently pushed forward, putting pressure on the home team.
Hai Huy, Tien Linh, and Que Ngoc Hai successively tested HAGL goalkeeper Duong Van Loi with difficult shots, but without success. However, Binh Duong had to wait until the 27th minute to capitalize on their advantage. From a corner kick, HAGL's defense failed to clear the ball decisively, allowing Janclesio to fire a powerful shot to equalize 1-1 for the visitors.
Just two minutes later, the visiting team had another chance when Minh Trọng passed the ball from the left wing, giving Việt Cường a clear opportunity in front of the goal. However, the domestic player shot over the crossbar. Towards the end of the first half, Bùi Vĩ Hào also tried his luck when he penetrated the penalty area but his shot was also too high over the goal.
After scoring an early goal, HAGL played poorly. Fear of disjointed play between the lines led Kiatisuk's players to lose control of the game. They also failed to create many opportunities to threaten Binh Duong's goal. It wasn't until the beginning of the second half that the home team created another dangerous chance, but Quoc Viet's long-range shot from outside the penalty area went wide of the post.
Minh Vương (number 10) shields the ball under pressure from Tiến Linh and Hải Huy during HAGL's 1-1 draw with Bình Dương at Pleiku Stadium on the afternoon of December 3rd. Photo: Minh Trần
Binh Duong responded in the 51st minute when Viet Cuong dribbled past four HAGL players before passing to Tien Linh, who raced down to face the goalkeeper. However, from 12 meters, the Binh Duong striker missed the opportunity, shooting directly at Van Loi who had rushed out.
Ten minutes later, newcomer Jhon Cley tried his luck with a long-range shot from outside the penalty area; the ball curled towards the near corner, but goalkeeper Minh Toàn made a diving save for the visitors. Both teams then played cautiously, not creating many further dangerous opportunities. In the fourth minute of added time, striker Elogo beat the Bình Dương defenders and fired a powerful shot into the near corner, but goalkeeper Văn Lợi closed the angle, helping the home team secure a point.
Unable to win in the V-League, the team from Pleiku remains rooted at the bottom of the table with two points. They are level on points with Quang Nam and Ha Tinh but have an inferior goal difference.
Meanwhile, Binh Duong moved up to fifth place with seven points after four rounds. However, coach Le Huynh Duc still regretted that his team couldn't come away with three points. "Today we were unlucky and couldn't win. We had many opportunities and if we had finished well, we would have won because we were the more deserving team," Duc said after the match.
In round 5, Binh Duong will play away at Khanh Hoa on December 10th, while HAGL will continue to play at home against Viettel on December 8th.
Duc Dong
Source link
Comment (0)