The referee kept checking VAR and added too much extra time.

" The situation leading to the equalizer was quite sensitive, occurring during injury time. The referee constantly checked VAR in the first half, but not in the second. However, the referee added too much injury time, " assistant referee Mai Xuan Hop shared after the match between Viettel and Thanh Hoa in Round 2 of the V-League 2023/2024.

Mr. Mai Xuan Hop attended the post-match press conference as a replacement for Coach Popov. The assistant coach stated that the Bulgarian coach was experiencing throat problems and therefore unable to attend.

The match was interrupted for a relatively long time while the referee checked VAR.

Thanh Hoa FC played more impressively against hosts Viettel. Trinh Van Loi opened the scoring for Thanh Hoa, but he also fouled Hoang Duc, resulting in a penalty for the yellow-shirted team. Bruno Cunha easily converted the penalty in injury time, leveling the score at 1-1.

" Thanh Hoa had two or three clear chances but failed to capitalize on them, perhaps due to the pressure of the match and the players' skills. They need to be calmer ," Mr. Mai Xuan Hop expressed.

On the other side, coach Thach Bao Khanh believed Viettel deserved the three points. He was also pleased with his players' performance and the refereeing.

In the situation where Hoang Duc was fouled, the player had to leave the field on a stretcher but later returned to play. Coach Thach Bao Khanh shared: " He needs to be checked again. I hope Duc doesn't have anything too serious, because he can still walk after a knee injury. I have experience with knee injuries; he's had to have surgery twice. If the ligaments are torn, he won't be able to walk ."

In the second half, players from both sides clashed several times, causing interruptions to the game. Viettel's head coach stated: " We didn't intentionally play roughly. The players were simply showing determination in contested situations. It wasn't just Viettel; Thanh Hoa did the same. I think the players from both teams wanted to entertain the fans and didn't intend to injure their opponent ."

Hoai Duong

Source: https://vtc.vn/tro-ly-clb-thanh-hoa-trong-tai-lien-tuc-kiem-tra-var-cho-bu-gio-qua-dai-ar830180.html