'Or people don't love Thanh Hoa team'

On the afternoon of December 16th, Thanh Hoa team hosted Ho Chi Minh City team in the 6th round of the V-League 2023-2024.

Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City teams shared the points in the sixth round of matches.

Superior but hesitant to impose their own style of play.

Before the match, the financial problems of this team made many fans worried that it would reduce the fighting spirit of the Thanh team's teachers and students.

But throughout the match, the Thanh Hoa players showed great enthusiasm, and moreover, despite having to play with ten men after Nguyen Thanh Long received a red card, the Thanh Hoa team still fought hard and scored the opening goal of the match.

However, despite their best efforts, Thanh Hoa team could only manage to secure one point, settling for a 1-1 draw after a goal by Ho Tuan Tai.

Highlights of Dong A Thanh Hoa FC vs. Ho Chi Minh City FC | Round 6 V-League 2023-2024

Coach Phung Thanh Phuong shared after the match

After the match, coach Phung Thanh Phuong of the Ho Chi Minh City team expressed his satisfaction at getting 1 point on Thanh Hoa's field, and said that despite having more players, the strategy was to take advantage of situations and opportunities and not play offensively with the Thanh Hoa team.

"We didn't slow down in the second half, and we chose when to attack because I know Thanh Hoa is a strong team and their playing style is very aggressive. Pushing forward when we have a man advantage might not necessarily be beneficial. We also learned from the previous match; we won against Hai Phong 1-0, and after that, they put a lot of pressure on us. So when playing away, we will choose the right moments to attack," said coach Phung Thanh Phuong.

Commenting on player Minh Tùng, coach Phùng Thanh Phương said: "Not only in this match, but in previous matches, Minh Tùng has performed excellently and completed the tasks I assigned him. As for the young players, I always encourage them and have faith in their professional abilities. Regarding the penalty situation, it happens normally in football, and I will encourage the players to improve further."

Even though they had one more player for most of the match, the Ho Chi Minh City team did not dare to impose their playing style.

Is there something unusual about the Thanh Hoa team?

Coach Popov of Thanh Hoa team, after today's match, spoke at length, unlike his more reserved demeanor in the previous season.

"Playing against a defensive team like Ho Chi Minh City FC is not easy at all. Conversely, when we received a red card, we were down to 10 men against 11, but we still controlled the game and had three clear scoring opportunities," said coach Popov.

Mr. Popov also expressed satisfaction with his students. Despite playing with one less player, the players' spirit was very good and they played with dedication until the last minute.

"We should have won today, but there was just one unlucky situation. It was very difficult to beat them today, especially because we were short a player, but we gave it our all. So there's no reason not to be happy after today's match. There's an important point today, I'm not talking about other teams, but our team played with a man down for a long time, but we didn't retreat into defense; we still attacked, coordinated to score goals. We're not like other teams that retreat when they're short a player, with all 10 players going to their half of the field to defend," said Popov.

Coach Popov spoke at length after the match, particularly regarding the refereeing.

Regarding Thanh Long's foul that resulted in a red card, Coach Popov stated that it's normal for young players to make mistakes like Thanh Long did. He also acknowledged that Thanh Long is a good player both physically and mentally, but he has to serve too much for both his club and the national team, leaving him with no time to rest.

Commenting on goalkeeper Xuan Hoang, Mr. Popov said: "Xuan Hoang is a good goalkeeper; in about three years, he will be the best goalkeeper in Vietnam. We are extremely lucky to have two goalkeepers who are the best in Vietnam right now. For me, there is no concern at all between Xuan Hoang and Thanh Diep."

Regarding the refereeing, particularly the red card shown to Thanh Long, Mr. Popov has spoken extensively about it. He believes the referee is behaving inappropriately towards the Thanh Hoa team.

"Everyone says I'm always complaining, but I only have one question: was the situation leading to the red card justified? Remember our match against Viettel? Rimario was running down the wing with only one Viettel defender behind him, and he fouled him, but he didn't get a red card. Today, we had two central defenders down the wing, and Thanh Long got a red card. Can you explain that?"

Speaking to reporters after the match, Coach Popov expressed concern that there might be something wrong with the refereeing regarding the Thanh Hoa team.

Why isn't Thanh Hoa team treated normally like other teams? I only react and ask questions about situations that are unfavorable to us; I never react to other clearly unfair situations. I'm not saying right or wrong, I just want to ask. If it's accurate, then I accept it, but comparing those two situations, they're so different, could there be something going on between us? And I never stop at what I believe is right; when I'm right, I'm not afraid to speak my mind.

"I accept Thanh Long's red card today, I just wonder why the situation today is different from the one against Viettel before. Anyone with even a little knowledge of football, when they watch the situation against Viettel and compare it to today's, would know that the situation against Viettel deserved a red card more. But why is that? Is there something else? Or do people not love the Thanh Hoa team?" Coach Popov said.

Before concluding the press conference, Mr. Popov also revealed that Thanh Hoa's goal for this season is quite modest, aiming only to finish in the top 6.

"The Thanh Hoa team isn't competing for anything; we're just trying to play well to entertain the fans, that's all," said Mr. Popov.

"But I still want an answer: was there something wrong with the two situations? When there was no VAR referee, I accepted it, but now that there is VAR, it's still the same. The main referee issued a yellow card, but when the VAR referee consulted, he issued a red card," said Popov.

With the draw after the 6th round, Thanh Hoa team temporarily lost the second place in the table, slipping to 3rd place, while Ho Chi Minh City team ranked 6th.

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