Having the home field advantage and playing on the pitch, but Viettel experienced an ineffective match, both in defense and in attack. They let HAGL take the lead, then equalized 1-1 before conceding 3 more goals in a row and losing 1-4 on aggregate. This is Viettel’s first loss in the 2023 season and their heaviest loss at home in the past two years.
Sharing in the press conference after the match, coach Thach Bao Khanh explained the reason why his students suffered a 1-4 defeat against HAGL: “This is a good match for both teams. both teams had their chances, HAGL made better use of it and won. When we were down, we pushed up the formation and made space for the home team to appear. Accept it, because HAGL plays very sharp counterattack.
Bui Tien Dung scored the only goal for Viettel against HAGL. Photo: Cao Oanh.
We will forget this match and focus on preparing for the match against SHB Da Nang. This result is an accident. HAGL has 2 very strong foreign players, it is a disadvantage for our domestic players to race at speed. Viettel has lost 2 foreign players (Geovane, Jefferson) and that is a disadvantage. How can we play like that?”
When the score was 2-1, coach Kiatisak threw Nguyen Quoc Viet on the field and very quickly, the 19-year-old striker scored to raise the score to 3-1 after taking advantage of a mistake from Viettel’s defense. When asked about Nguyen Quoc Viet, coach Thach Bao Khanh gave his opinion: “I am glad that V.League clubs have created conditions for young players to play. Like Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Quoc Viet is a player. Children have a lot of potential. Creating conditions for them to develop is a good thing.”
With a loss of 1-4, Viettel was surpassed by HAGL on the V.League 2023 chart. Nui Street team has 7 points after 5 rounds, 1 point more than Viettel.
