Defenders Khatoco Khanh Hoa started off confidently as the champions with fast attacks.
Their midfielders Thanh Hai A, Xuan Phu and Tan Thi combined well midway through and made clean passes to the duo strikers Thanh Nam and Minh Thong who put constant pressure on the opponents’ goalkeeper.
In the 45th minute, Khanh Hoa were offered a penalty kick after Hue’s Ngoc Luan tackled Xuan Phu of Khanh Hoa in the penalty box. Yet Thai Hoang failed to defeat Hue’s goalie Van Dung.
In the 63rd minute, Khanh Hoa’s Tan Thi’s heel pass found Dinh Tung who broke the deadlock.
Hue threw in striker Anh Viet to strengthen the front; and in the final minute Hue’s Trong Trung took advantage of the disorder in the penalty area to score an equalizer for the team from the ancient town of Hue.
In a later match between HCMC and title hopeful Nam Dinh, despite being considered the underdog, the young players from the south dashed out a 3-1 hammering to the opponents from the northern province of Nam Dinh.
HCMC players controlled the match most of the time with playmaker Hoai
Hau playing effectively in the middle of the field; and the team carried out a variety of strategic attacks.
In the 23rd minute, Duc Thien scored the opener for HCMC with a header that found Nam Dinh’s net after a good pass from Kien Trung.
In the first minute of the second half, HCMC Van Khai’s free kick found Duc Tai who doubled the score for the team from the south.
Danh Ngoc pulled back a goal for the northern team, but with just five minutes to go, Duc Thien of HCMC struck a second time to seal a 3-1 victory over Nam Dinh.
After the first round, HCMC leads Group B with three points followed by Khanh Hoa and Hue with one point each and Nam Dinh with zero.
Reported by Quang Huy-Giang Lao |
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