HLV Popov

Round 5 of the V.League witnessed some heated debates about the way the king of the field handled the whistle, despite the use of VAR in many matches, along with hot heads on the Quy Nhon field.

Nam Dinh is difficult to defeat

Under the support of Green Steel, Nam Dinh football is rising like a meteorite. They won all four of their first matches in the V.League before being held to a 2-2 draw by defending champion CAHN Club in Thien Truong.

Notably, host Nam Dinh was two goals ahead but they played very tenaciously and only needed the last 5 minutes for two equalizers from reigning top scorer Rafaelson. CAHN Club with many national players was unable to defeat coach Vu Hong Viet and his team, so it is very difficult for any other opponent to surpass them.

Nam Dinh not only has strong internal strength and strong fighting ability, especially at home, but also has stable financial potential. The owners of the Southern football team are more than capable of creating a spacious runway for the club to take off, from on the field to behind the scenes.

After a season when CAHN Club, as a V.League rookie, ran straight to the championship, the quiet football makers here can be more humble to create another exciting, historic atmosphere. Some players exchanged between Nam Dinh and CAHN Club, or familiar faces in Hanoi from last season, show signs of bringing the wind back to football in the South.

However, the clashes between them still took place very fiercely and dramatically. As in the match at Thien Truong Stadium, referee Tran Dinh Thai sweatily reviewed VAR over and over again to veto CAHN Club’s early goal to double the gap, despite the sensitive collision between Quang Hai of the away team and Hong. The home owner’s move does not seem to be enough to count as a foul. The tension between them also heated up the arena when new coach Gong Oh-kyun collided with Nam Dinh’s Van Kien.

But it must be admitted that Nam Dinh is difficult to defeat thanks to the uniformity of the lines and second team and in the era of “high rice, low rice” when many clubs owe players’ salaries, bonuses, and the stability of teachers and coaches. Vu Hong Viet will help them fly higher this season.

The referee continues to be complained about

Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem used to be harsh on the referee in previous rounds, but recently he continued to criticize the king of the field during and after Hai Phong’s draw with host Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nghiem was dissatisfied with the handling of referee Hoang Ngoc Ha, who showed signs of favoring Thong Nhat Stadium’s owner in some situations and cooled the excitement of Hai Phong players.

Referee Tran Trung Hieu was also complained by coach Popov of the Thanh Hoa team after the clash at Quy Nhon stadium. It’s strange that the away team won 3-2 but the Bulgarian teacher still criticized the referee’s whistle.

Mr. Popov did not want to repeat the specific situation but cited what he once said that Thanh Hoa could not win the V.League championship. The main reason is that the referee made many unfair decisions against coach Popov’s team. Head of the VFF Referee Committee Dang Thanh Ha was also present at Quy Nhon stadium and certainly if referee Hieu makes a mistake, he will have to learn from it to help make the game fairer.

Thanh Hoa created a phenomenon last season by winning the National Cup, fourth place in the V.League and defeating CAHN Club to win the Super Cup. Coach Popov and his team want to go further and are trying to achieve more than the results they have achieved. We hope that the referee’s whistle will not be an obstacle for Thanh football.