SLNA beat Đà Nẵng to climb to second in V.League 1
Sông Lam Nghệ An (SLNA) defeated Đà Nẵng 2-0 in the sixth round of the V.League 1 on Friday at Hòa Xuân Stadium in Đà Nẵng.
Just four minutes in, taking full advantage of a misunderstanding between goalie Phan Văn Biểu and midfielder Victor Nirennold of the hosts, Michael Olaha was presented with an empty net, but could only skew his shot wide.
The away side had 55 per cent of possession in the first 30 minutes, forcing the home side to play on the counter.
In the 40th minute, Olaha skipped clear down the right, but his cutback was wasted as Nguyễn Quang Tình fired the ball over Biểu’s goal.
In the closing minutes of first half, the hosts had their best chance, but Đỗ Merlo’s header came crashing off the bar after Hà Đức Chinh’s cross.
After the break, Đà Nẵng pushed on seeking goals and created chances for A Mít and Chinh but to no avail.
In the 61st minute, Nguyễn Thanh Hải thought he had scored the opener for the hosts, but the referee ruled it out for offside.
Đà Nẵng suffered more misfortune when Phan Văn Long saw yet another headed effort crash off the crossbar and to safety.
Against the run of play, SLNA snatched the opener in the 70th minute thanks to Olaha’s placed finish.
Đà Nẵng threw all their efforts into seeking an equalizer but were left exposed at the back, creating a chance for Tình to secure the 2-0 victory for the visitors.
With this win, SLNA climb to second out of 14 teams with 13 points. HCM City top the standings also on 13, while defending champions Hà Nội are in third place with 11 points.
Today, the sixth round will continue with Thanh Hóa versus Khánh Hòa, Quảng Ninh against Khánh Hòa and HCM City vs Viettel.
Elsewhere tomorrow, Nam Định will take on Bình Dương, Quảng Nam face Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and Hà Nội meet Hải Phòng.
