Coach Kiatisuk: 'It's time to think about three points'

After a break for SEA Games 32, V-League 2023 returned on the afternoon of May 19 with an early match between HAGL - Thanh Hoa. The owner of Pleiku Stadium entered the game well and led in the first half thanks to Tran Minh Vuong. But, Thanh Hoa returned to the second half strongly to score two goals. The home team had to rely on the late goal of the player to replace Dinh Thanh Binh to avoid the defeat.

"The first half we played well, sometimes I thought about three points," coach Kiatisuk said after the match in Pleiku. "In the first half, we had six, seven chances but only scored one goal. In contrast, Thanh Hoa only had two and they took full advantage. But that's football, no telling."

Besides nearly losing, this match goalkeeper Huynh Tuan Linh lost a goal in a narrow corner and had many situations to buy time, booed by many spectators. Coach Kiatisuk said that Tuan Linh had just recovered from his injury, so he let his students go to the field to find the feeling of the ball again. "Because Thanh Hoa plays fast, I ask Tien Linh to play safely, go long. When the top is not ready, he can slow down. I will talk to the goalkeeping coach to fix the situation. This situation if the audience is not satisfied," said the Thai military leader.

Midfielder Tran Minh Vuong also regretted when HAGL took the lead but had to divide the points, but admitted that the draw result reflected the right situation. He also thinks that HAGL is gradually improving the gameplay to be more flexible and believes that he will play better next time.

Coach Popov of Thanh Hoa expressed satisfaction with the fighting spirit of the players. After eight rounds, he and his students still stood at the top of the table with an undefeated record. "We had a lot of chances to score more goals, but there were some mistakes. It's natural in football that everyone makes mistakes so I don't criticize anyone," said Popov. speak.