Ljupko Petrovic’s Dong A Thanh Hoa earned their first win of the season after they hammered Duoc Nam Ha Nam Dinh 3-0 at the Thanh Hoa Stadium in Saturday’s V.League 1 Round 3 action. The match was played at an empty stadium due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam, but that did not stop the Lam Son Warriors from upping their A-game and gave Nam Dinh their second straight defeat.
Having returned to Thanh Hoa for his second stint with the club earlier in the week, Kosovan midfielder Gramoz Kurtaj was thrown into the starting lineup right away by Ljupko against his former club. Gramoz was kicked out of Nam Dinh due to his refusal to play in his side’s Round 2 match away at Hai Phong FC and he’s more than eager to prove his worth with his new employers against his old ones.
Whilst Gramoz’s battle against the team that had terminated his contract earlier in the season was one of the highlighted talking points in the buildup towards Saturday’s action, another Thanh Hoa player stepped up to the plate and gave his team the early upper-hand over their opponents – Hoang Vu Samson. The Nigerian-born striker, who is the all-time top scorer of the V.League 1, gave Thanh Hoa the lead in the 10th minute after he had tapped in a corner from point-blank range.
Pitch conditions at the Thanh Hoa Stadium were less than ideal and it affected both teams as they were unable to play out the true extent of their game. The first half only saw five chances being made between the two teams and Samson’s goal being the only difference.
Despite Thanh Hoa closing off their stadium from fans due to COVID-related safety precautions, the Lam Son Warriors were still being cheered on by their faithful supporters, who flocked the houses, shops, and shophouses around the stadium. Some of the buildings around the stadium had more than one floor to them, allowing spectators to get a good view of the Thanh Hoa Stadium pitch by climbing up towards the second or third floors. Banners and flags bearing the Thanh Hoa badge were being placed outside of buildings around the Thanh Hoa Stadium and some even brought their drums into said buildings, providing a passionate atmosphere to the match despite the empty stands within the stadium.
The Thanh Hoa supporters’ efforts were paid off nicely in the 64th minute after the hosts doubled their advantage. Receiving a long ball from the midfield, Trinh Van Loi managed to outsmart Vu Hoang Tra who attempted to mark him, before firing a powerful curling shot that went above the heads of both Lam Anh Quang and goalkeeper Ho Van Tu and into the Nam Dinh goal.
Two minutes later Thanh Hoa scored their third goal that ensured that the three points would be staying at the Thanh Hoa Stadium. Once again Van Loi managed to made mincemeat out of Hoang Tra’s defensive capabilities, easily shrugging off his marker before spraying the ball deep into the Nam Dinh penalty area. Both Wesley Rodrigues and Van Tu were hesitant in chasing the ball in front of them, allowing Le Van Thang to snap up Van Loi’s ball, go around Van Tu, and slot the ball into the empty net.
The 3-0 scoreline for Thanh Hoa remained that way until full-time, with the result catapulting Ljupko’s charges into 5th in the V.League 1 table.
Saturday’s other match saw Sai Gon FC scrape their way past Song Lam Nghe An at the Thong Nhat Stadium with a narrow 1-0 win, Do Merlo scoring the only goal of the game for Vu Tien Thanh’s men. The clash between Sai Gon and SLNA was the last V.League 1 match to be played for a while, as the league goes into a period of hiatus due to both the increasing amount of COVID-19 cases in Northern Vietnam and the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations. Due to the Northern Vietnam outbreaks, the league have yet to establish a restart date for the remaining Round 3 matches, with a possibility of them being played out after the Lunar New Year.