VietNamNet Bridge – Thanh Hoa maintained its position on top of the V.League table after their 2-0 win over Sanna Khanh Hoa in the weekend’s second round.

Thanh Hoa players celebrate after a goal. Thanh Hoa beat Sanna Khanh Hoa 2-0 in the V.League’s second round.

The visitors worked hard but failed to find their hosts’ net in the first half.

In the second half, they came back strongly, finally breaking Khanh Hoa’s defence at the 64th mark.

Hoang Van Binh received a ball which came bouncing to him following a commotion in the penalty area. Making a canon shot, Binh opened the visitors’ account.

Uche Iheruome then doubled the score with a narrow angle finish 13 minutes later.

Although they won the match, Thanh Hoa lost the service of their captain for the next match.

Senegalese player Pape Omar Faye was shown the red card for slapping Khanh Hoa’s captain Van Vu following a scuffle between the players of the two teams.

While on his way back to the tunnel, Faye made a rude gesture towards the spectators.

Khanh Hoa’s right defender Nguyen Dinh Nhon will also be rested in the next round, as he was sent off for trying to hit Faye.

Speaking with reporters at a post-match briefing, coach Ljupko Petrovic of Thanh Hoa said he was happy with his team’s second win, despite his players showing only 60 per cent of their power and making mistakes.

The Serbian coach said he did not want to talk about Faye’s red card but agreed the captain’s attitude towards the spectators was unacceptable. He said he had spoken to the Senegalese striker, who had expressed regret for his conduct.

Thanh Hoa will next welcome Long An, who are placed third, in their next match while Khanh Hoa will visit Song Lam Nghe An, who had a 1-1 draw with Can Tho on Saturday.

With their midfielder Le The Cuong back in action, the former champions put in a much better display.

He created ample opportunities for his teammates in the front line, but they failed to score until the 69th minute when Henry Shackiel netted in from a straight shot.

Coach Vu Quang Bao of Can Tho strengthened his side with two changes, adding Quang Tinh and Van Thanh in the midfield who provided strong support to their forwards.

However, during extra time, the national team’s halfback Que Ngoc Hai made a mistake. In an attempt to block the ball, he scored an own goal and levelled the result for the visiting side.

It was the second own goal for Song Lam Nghe An. Defender Nguyen Manh Hung made the first one in the team’s first-round match when it lost 0-2 to Thanh Hoa on January 8.

Can Tho, sitting at No 10, will entertain former champions Becamex Binh Duong, who are placed 11th, in the next round.

In the last match of the second round, Sai Gon FC downed SHB Da Nang 2-1.

Two foreigners Patrick Dos Santos Cruz and Marcelo Fernandes scored for Sai Gon while new signee Ha Duc Chinh netted for SHB Da Nang.

It was the second win for Sai Gon giving them the second position in the table.

 “Two wins are nothing at this time of the tournament. It will, however, encourage my players who are on ice water to recover quickly for the next match,” said coach Nguyen Duc Thang of Sai Gon.

“The wins also show how we prepare for the tournament because we are targeting higher position this season,” he added.

Coach Le Huynh Duc of SHB Da Nang said his team deserved to score more goals.

“Today, we wasted many chances and let Sai Gon score two early goals. However, I am satisfied with my team’s spirit, they did their job. Our problem is scoring,” said Duc after the game.

The coach said the poor performance of the team was partly due to the absence of its key striker Do Merlo who was out with injury.

“Without Merlo, our strength has been hit. He scored one goal per match on an average last season. He has to rest for eight weeks due to broken toes and he will need another four weeks to get back his fitness. It will be a long time,” he said.

With three points, SHB Da Nang is ranked eighth and will face No 4 Quang Nam, while Sai Gon will meet HCM City in a derby match on January 18.   

VNS