In the 47th minute, midfielder Khac Ngoc made a powerful run into Nam Dinh's penalty area and crossed the ball to Olaha. The SLNA striker controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed it past goalkeeper Nguyen Manh. The Nam Dinh players showed no immediate reaction. However, referee Tran Ngoc Anh blew his whistle, penalizing Olaha for handling the ball, and disallowed the goal.

This match was the only one in the second round of this V-League season without VAR. Consequently, despite strong protests from the SLNA players, the legitimate goal stood disallowed.

SLNA (in yellow) played well to defeat Nam Dinh 2-1 in the second round of the 2025-2026 V-League season, on the evening of 23/8. Photo: Xuan Thuy.

Prior to this controversial incident, the score was tied at 1-1. Lam Ti Phong opened the scoring for Nam Dinh in the 9th minute with a solo effort, beating two SLNA defenders before firing a shot into the top corner for his first goal of the season.

In the 41st minute, SLNA launched a quick counterattack. Goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh misjudged the speed of the ball, initially running out to clear it but then retreating towards his empty net. Striker Ngo Van Luong capitalized on the opportunity, scoring from long range to equalize at 1-1. Earlier, Khac Ngoc had also attempted a long-range shot, which hit the crossbar.

Without Xuan Son and Van Toan, Nam Dinh's attack struggled. Foreign players Brener and Romulo were ineffective. Supporting players such as Van Vi and Ly Cong Hoang Anh also offered little assistance. Their stagnant play gave goalkeeper Cao Van Binh little to do. Their best chance in the second half came in the 55th minute, when 6'9" striker Kyle Hudlin headed the ball towards goal, but the SLNA keeper reacted quickly to parry it away.

Striker Reon More scored the winning goal for SLNA against Nam Dinh in the second round of the 2025-2026 V-League season, on the evening of 23/8. Photo: Xuan Thuy.

SLNA, however, did not give up after the disallowed goal. They pressed forward with renewed vigor, creating several chances, and were finally rewarded in the 81st minute. From a central attack, Olaha headed the ball down for substitute Reon More, who volleyed powerfully into the net, securing a 2-1 victory for the home side.

After the match, Olaha approached the referee to explain that he had controlled the ball with his chest, not his hand, before scoring. The refereeing team simply smiled.

Duc Dong