Explaining the reasons for Tiến Linh's decline in form

On the day when captain and forward Nguyễn Tiến Linh continued to miss numerous opportunities and admitted to being under psychological pressure, Ho Chi Minh City Police were quite fortunate to secure a 1-0 victory over PVF-CAND thanks to a standout moment from young overseas Vietnamese player Khoa Ngô.

In reality, the match was quite tense and had many turning points. Already in the first half, PVF-CAND managed to put the ball into the host team's net following a combination between Joseph Mpande and Hoàng Vũ Samson.

However, after consulting VAR, referee Trương Hồng Vũ determined that Samson had fouled a home team player before the visitors scored.

The decision to disallow the goal caused the visiting team to miss a regrettable opportunity to take the lead.

After that controversial incident, the match gradually tilted towards the home team. Ho Chi Minh City Police controlled the ball more and created several dangerous opportunities.

However, the strikers such asNguyễn Tiến Linhor the home team's attacking plays lacked accuracy in the finishing stage.

Moving into the second half, Khoa Ngô shone with a neat close-range finish, scoring the only goal of the match. The 20-year-old overseas Vietnamese player needed only 5 matches to score 3 goals, matching Tiến Linh, and is currently the club's top scorer in terms of goals and assists.

After the match,Coach Lê Huỳnh Đứcacknowledged that the team still has many issues to improve, particularly their finishing ability: "In the previous two matches we lost at home, today the players' attitude remained positive, still diligent and determined with a hungry spirit.

What hasn't improved is scoring; the team missed many opportunities. PVF-CAND is not strong, but our players couldn't execute anything. The forward line also couldn't finish; we need to further improve the goal-scoring issue.

If you attack without scoring, you pay the price; football is like that. Our team has had many lessons. Playing againstThể Công Viettelwe also suffered similarly. Against Hanoi Police, we also lost due to counterattacks. In the coming time, we will strive to learn from experience to correct mistakes and improve that issue; there are many things that need to be done."

Coach Lê Huỳnh Đứcadded: "Regarding Tiến Linh, he is facing pressure issues. When unable to score goals, it becomes easier to get impatient. I myself experienced this before; forwards often fall into this situation.

When confidence and feeling are lost, it's very difficult to regain them. We have encouraged him and arranged lighter training sessions so the player can regain excitement. The team's playing style doesn't have major issues, but the final stage is still not stable."

Meanwhile, PVF-CAND coach Trần Tiến Đại believes his team is still in an adjustment process following many fluctuations. Mr. Đại said: "Partly, football involves wins and losses. When leading, the match situation also belonged to the opponent; they transitioned well so we faced difficulties when pushing high. We must improve our physical fitness. The spirit is good; the players played as best as they could. We only faced difficulties in a few positions due to card suspensions and illnesses, requiring changes in the defensive line."

This coach also spoke about the team's new recruits: "Regarding new recruits, they've only had two training sessions so they need time to integrate. The players are not at their best form yet; they need time to adapt. Physical fitness also needs improvement because performance declined after a too-long break."

Despite the defeat, he still affirmed his trust in VAR technology: "Regarding VAR, not only me but all coaches and teams trust VAR. Reactions only occur in a few specific situations."

The minimal victory helped Ho Chi Minh City Police reach 26 points, continuing to maintain the 5th position in the top group, while PVF-CAND remains at the bottom with 11 points.