The first leg of HDBank National Futsal Championship 2021 kicked off at Dak Lak Provincial Sports Arena on April 9 and 10. Five matches were played, and none of them ended in a draw. In fact, some matches ended with high scores with the total goals of 27.
The first leg of HDBank National Futsal Championship 2021 kicked off at Dak Lak Provincial Sports Arena on April 9 and 10. Five matches were played, and none of them ended in a draw. In fact, some matches ended with high scores with the total goals of 27.
The opening match of the first leg on April 9 saw the surprise loss of defending champions Thai Son Nam to Thai Son Bac. Although being assessed to be stronger than Thai Son Bac and leading one goal to nil in the first half, Thai Son Nam failed to keep up their display and conceded two goals in the second half. Two goals by Thanh Tin and Minh Quang of Thai Son Bac saw the defending champions to be empty handed in the first round.
The next match of the round was the competition between Sanvinest Khanh Hoa and the hosts Hung Gia Khang Dak Lak. More experienced Sanvinest Khanh Hoa side proved their superiority over the rookies Hung Gia Khang Dak Lak with a stunning 6-1 victory. Phan Khac Chi contributed a hat trick to the win of Sanvinest Khanh Hoa besides three goals by Mai Thanh Dat, Nguyen Nho and Pi Nang Thai An.
The newly re-named Zetbit Saigon FC (formerly known as Kardiachian Saigon FC) also showed that they are among the contenders for the title race this year. They thrashed Quang Nam 5-1 thanks to the goals by Nguyen Hong Kong, Trinh Quang Vinh, Nguyen Cong Hai, and Phung Trong Luan (former player of Sanvinest Sanatech Khanh Hoa).
The last two matches of the first leg were between Tan Hiep Hung and Cao Bang, Sahako and Hieu Hoa Da Nang on April 10. Tan Hiep Hung and Cao Bang met each other earlier in the preliminary round where Tan Hiep Hung came from behind to defeat Cao Bang 4-2. This round, Tan Hiep Hung learned from their failure in the preliminary round and displayed a more solid play against Cao Bang. After a goalless first half, just within 14 minutes of the second half, Tan Hiep Hung scored three goals into the net of Cao Bang. In the final seconds of the match, Lam Trung Thuan scored the consolation goal for Cao Bang. Meanwhile, SAHAKO triumphed Hieu Hoa Da Nang 4-1. Khong Dinh Hung, former captain of Sanatech Sanest Khanh Hoa, scored two out of the four goals of SAHAKO.
Currently, after the first round, Sanvinest Khanh Hoa, Zetbit Saigon, SAHACO, Tan Hiep Hung and Thai Son Bac are the top five on the table; all have three points. The teams behind the five haven’t had any points yet, including Thai Son Nam, Cao Bang, Hieu Hoa Da Nang, Quang Nam and Hung Gia Khang Dak Lak.
A.N
Translated by H.N
