Both Sông Lam Nghệ An and SHB Đà Nẵng had a dismal season, but the ending gave hope to their fans for a better tomorrow. — Photo baonghean.vn

Anh Đức

Escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth, with one that has already won a crucial play-off game and another in a National Cup Final, both Sông Lam Nghệ An FC and SHB Đà Nẵng FC had a season to forget, but a memorable ending in one of Vietnamese football's most peculiar seasons ever.

SHB Đà Nẵng, the former three-time V.League 1 champions, were dead last at the table up until the 24th round. The club changed its head coach four times this season, with coaches like Cristiano Roland and Phan Thanh Hùng each spending a month with the team before club leaders finally settled on Hà Nội FC's former manager Lê Đức Tuấn in February.

With Tuấn at the helm, despite a struggling start, the 'Hàn River Team' slowly got their groove back and reclaimed their fighting spirit. While their direct competitor Bình Định FC only earned one win in the last seven matches, Đà Nẵng only lost once, to Thể Công - Viettel, which flipped Bình Định to direct relegation. Meanwhile, Đà Nẵng was given a second chance at the relegation playoff match.

But Đà Nẵng's redemption journey could not have happened, had it not been for this bizarre moment: a winning goal scored by goalkeeper Bùi Tiến Dũng in the fifth minute of added time on a half-volley, during a crunch match against Bình Định FC.

In my column published on May 12, I commented that Dũng's goal "has not only saved a career, but a season".

And the former 'People's Goalkeeper' did not disappoint again. Fans can doubt his abilities, but Dũng's performance in clutch moments is unrivalled. Just as he has proven in penalty shootouts at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, or the last-minute goal mentioned above, the Thanh Hóa-born goalie once again became the hero, keeping a clean sheet at the relegation playoff match against V.League 2 side Trường Tươi Bình Phước last Friday.

Moreover, Dũng even saved a crucial penalty in the match, against Bình Phước's superstar and his former national squad teammate Nguyễn Công Phượng. Phượng's penalty, had it gone in, would have equalised the game at 1-1 and could have completely turned the tide.

Đà Nẵng, with the mentality advantage, was able to close out the match with a 2-0 win, denying Bình Phước on their second consecutive attempt to achieve promotion.

The former champions get to stay in the V.League for another season, but now with a lesson that they must learn to avoid fighting in the relegation zone when they could become so much more.

Another three-time V.League champion, Sông Lam Nghệ An, also found themselves struggling in the bottom three for the majority of the season. Though managing to avoid relegation and the playoffs early on, Nghệ An's journey was laden with disappointments and unfortunate events, despite passionate support from their fans.

The club, whose deal with front-shirt sponsor AAN runs out this season, is struggling to find a new sponsor. Personnel-wise, big names such as Phan Văn Đức, Phạm Xuân Mạnh and Quế Ngọc Hải have left the club in recent years, making 'The Yellowshirts' rely on their younger teammates.

But with nothing left to lose, the young Sông Lam Nghệ An players were determined to prove themselves. A 3-2 last-minute win against giants Becamex Bình Dương in the semi-final was perhaps the biggest testament to their willpower.

"We have the mentality on our side," said SLNA's coach Phan Như Thuật before the final against Công An Hà Nội FC.

Two clubs were in the same situation, and one has come out with smiles on their faces. Can the other give their fans a happy ending? — VNS