Football

Nguyễn Trọng Hùng of Thanh Hóa (centre) in action during the match between Thanh Hóa and Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh on October 21. Photos of VPF

HÀ NỘI — Đông Á Thanh Hóa coach Veliziar Popov was disappointed with his team's performance after their 2-2 draw against Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh in the V.League 1's opening match on October 21.

Playing on home ground and being one of the top three favourites to win the league after their National Cup and National Super Cup success last season, Thanh Hóa struggled to find a winner.

Vũ Quang Nam scored a double for Hà Tĩnh in the ninth and 29th minutes but goals from Amít and Rimario Allando Gordon for the hosts in the 20th and 37th minutes ensured the visitors were level at the break.

"It was a tough start for us as players were nervous and could not display their best," said Popov.

"Two goals were from the defenders' mistakes before we fixed the problem in the second half when we had threatening opportunities but failed to score in the last minutes."

The Bulgarian tactician said Thanh Hóa would have to review their match and work harder in the next game.

"It was a good sign that players tried to play best. But they need to leave last season's titles behind to focus on every single match this season."

Coach Nguyễn Thành Công of Hà Tĩnh was pleased with the score and said it was due to his careful research of Thanh Hóa's playing style.

"Thanh Hóa's style is known to us," said Công.

"This was their first match and at home, their determination was high. I believed that they would play very attacking from the off. I asked my players to focus on counter-attacks which is exactly what we did."

"I think it was a good game because playing at Thanh Hóa's stadium is never easy for all clubs. I am happy that my players did a good job although there are some things that need to be improved."

Nguyễn Minh Ngọc, head of the organising board, confirmed that the referees strictly followed FIFA's instructions for operating VAR and that their decisions were accurate.

Nguyễn Hữu Sơn of Hải Phòng (left) and Đinh Thanh Bình of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai vie for the ball during their V.League 1 match.

In the earlier match, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai secured a valuable 1-1 draw against Hải Phòng after a VAR's controversial penalty decision in the extra time.

Both sides did not have many opportunities in the match. It was until the 81st minute when Diakite Pape Abdoulaye let the ball touch his hand in the box and Hải Phòng were awarded a penalty.

Nguyễn Đình Thái spent nearly seven minutes discussing with his VAR team before making the final decision which did not satisfy both teams.

Goncalves Silva Lucas Vinicius stepped up and scored the opener.

When many local supporters were convinced of three points for their team, Jairo Rodrigues Peixoto Filho's header in the fifth minute stoppage time found the back of Hải Phòng's net.

"It was a difficult game but Hải Phòng tried to have a positive result," said midfielder Triệu Việt Hưng.

Hưng was on a two-year on-loan contract from Hoàng Anh Gia Lai to Hải Phòng before he signed a contract with Hải Phòng early this year.

Hưng who kicked the ball that touched Vinicius's hand was surprised by the penalty decision as he did not see that situation.

"I think that VAR is now a crucial part of football," he said.

"The technology will help football become fairer and better. However, I don't know if the ball touched his hand because it was really fast.

"I will have to review it carefully."

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm of Hải Phòng was also not comfortable with VAR.

"The VAR system in Việt Nam has less cameras than in other leagues. This situation will be seen clearly in these big tournaments and we will not spend so much time on it," said Nghiêm.

"V.League 1's VAR needs to fit more cameras so that more angles can give us better images."

Escaping from a loss in the last minutes, coach Kiatisak Senamuang of Hoàng Anh Gia was still confident to vie for a title this season.

"VAR is good for V-League 1 and Vietnamese football as it makes up fair games. Sometimes, we gain advantages from VAR and sometimes disadvantages," he said.

"Anyway, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai earned one point from Hải Phòng who beat us twice last year."

The draw was a good sign for the Thai coach, who competed in the V.League 1 as a player decades ago.

"This year Hoàng Anh Gia Lai plays with many young players who will grow and gain confidence match by match," he said.

"Boss (Đoàn Nguyên) Đức only signed contracts with two foreigners but we trust in our players and are ready to be against leading teams like Hà Nội and Viettel." VNS