Semifinal of the U21 National Football Championship 2024: PVF advances to the Final
PVF secured a spot in the 2024 U21 National Football Championship final after a tense penalty shootout against Đông Á Thanh Hoá.
12/08/2024 09:59:47
The second semifinal of the tournament featured a clash between the championship contenders PVF and Đông Á Thanh Hoá. From the opening whistle, PVF took an aggressive approach, pushing Đông Á Thanh Hoá back into their own half. Coach Duy Đông’s team prevented their opponents from creating many attacking opportunities, and the Thanh Hoá defense, under pressure from PVF’s forwards, showed vulnerabilities.
In the 34th minute, Lê Phát capitalized on a teammate’s pass and scored from close range to give PVF the lead. Building on their momentum, the Hưng Yên team caused more trouble for Đông Á Thanh Hoá. In the 45th minute, Ngọc Tài made a run down the right wing and delivered a perfect cross for Gia Bảo, who scored to make it 2-0 for the home team.
The first half ended with PVF holding a significant lead, but the second half saw Đông Á Thanh Hoá assert their quality. Determined not to lose, Coach Lê Hồng Minh instructed his team to push forward. With their strong physical condition, Đông Á Thanh Hoá gained an advantage, and PVF struggled to maintain control in midfield.
In the 57th minute, Hà Minh Đức’s quality cross allowed Văn Tiếp to head in and reduce the deficit to 1-2. Motivated, Đông Á Thanh Hoá pressed on and unsettled the PVF defense. In the 66th minute, Văn Thuận’s corner led to a scramble in the box, with Ngọc Mỹ scoring from close range to level the score at 2-2. Despite continued pressure from Đông Á Thanh Hoá in the latter part of the second half, they couldn’t find a winner, leading to a penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Minh Quang caused concern among PVF fans by failing to beat Anh Tuấn. Later, Công Sơn from Đông Á Thanh Hoá made a mistake by sending the ball over the bar. In the sixth round of penalties, Văn Tiếp missed his shot, while a PVF player converted successfully. PVF won the shootout 5-4 and secured their place in the final of the 2024 U21 National Football Championship.
Immediately after the second semifinal, the organizers awarded the third-place prizes to U21 Quảng Nam and U21 Đông Á Thanh Hoá.
