Match Report
Thép Xanh Nam Định went into the game 6th in the table on 35 points; Sông Lam Nghệ An sat 9th on 27 — an 8-point gap. On recent form Sông Lam Nghệ An sat only 13th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 9th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Thép Xanh Nam Định 1.27 scored and 1.23 conceded per game, Sông Lam Nghệ An 1.04 and 1.54, with the league averaging 1.31.
Three consecutive defeats weighed on Thép Xanh Nam Định.
The head-to-head ledger counts 8 games: 4 Thép Xanh Nam Định wins, 2 for Sông Lam Nghệ An, 2 draws, at 2.75 goals per meeting. Hosting has counted for little in this fixture — the home side has won only 25% of those meetings.
Sân vận động Thiên Trường, capacity 30,000, hosted the game. Half-time and full-time told different stories: Thép Xanh Nam Định led 2-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 3-0.
Goal scorers
Thép Xanh Nam Định: Rafaelson (14'), Rafaelson (23'), Rafaelson (68')
Key stats
Possession: Thép Xanh Nam Định 43% · Sông Lam Nghệ An 57% · Total shots: 16-6 · On target: 7-0 · Corners: 4-4