Football

THANH HÓA — Coach Velizar Emilov Popov of Đông Á Thanh Hóa expressed his disappointment after the team lost 1-2 to Bình Dương in the opening round of the 2024/25 V.League 1 season on Saturday in Thanh Hóa Province.

Despite leading in the first half, defensive mistakes ultimately led to Thanh Hóa's defeat. The team were missing central defender Gustavo Santos, who was sidelined due to a red card received in the previous Super Cup match. His replacement, rookie Phạm Mạnh Hùng, struggled to perform, contributing to the home team's loss.

In the post-match press conference, Popov said: "We deserved to lose this match, especially due to personal errors. These mistakes kept repeating, particularly leading to the second goal. In the second half, we faced multiple injuries, which forced us to make substitutions and field younger players."

He added: "Currently, our club have ten young players participating in domestic leagues. Our goal this season is to stay in the national top-flight league. We know it will be difficult, but we will try our best."

Although Bình Dương triumphed over Thanh Hóa, coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn praised the Thanh Hóa team and promised to revamp his own squad's attitude and playing style to reclaim past glories.

When asked about his feelings after a ten year absence from V.League 1, coach Tuấn said: “I haven’t worked in this field for a decade, but I have remained involved in football. I always follow Việt Nam's football tournaments, especially V.League 1, where national team players compete. It’s been a long time since I returned, and before the match, I felt an indescribable emotion, especially after our victory, despite the challenges we faced.”

Reflecting on the long road ahead, Tuấn said: “The tournament consists of 26 matches, and this is only the first. Bình Dương respect all teams in V.League 1, we recognise that every team is strong. The road ahead is still long and while winning the first match is motivating, it’s just the beginning.”

In recent years, Bình Dương have struggled to maintain their position in the league, while Tuấn has primarily focused on youth teams. After a decade, he has returned to the national premier league. Over the past ten years, Tuấn led U20 Việt Nam to the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2017 and secured the U23 Southeast Asian Championship. While he has achieved significant success in youth tournaments, V.League 1 remains an unfinished chapter for him. Nonetheless, he is viewed as a key figure expected to help the club shine. VNS