@ Can Tho (8th)
G: Hoang Thanh Tung
D: Nguyen Van Thanh/Phan Anh Tuan/Nguyen Thanh Hai/Dao Tien Dung
MC: Nguyen Thanh Nam/Nguyen Anh Tuan/Dang Anh Tuan
S: Do Van Hau/Selemani Ntibazonkiza/Nguyen Thanh Nam
3 games in a week. Needless to say, we've a lot of tired guys out there.
45 -
Nguyen Thanh Nam (I think the MC version) hits a perfect long free kick to
Van Hau in the box, and we *finally* beat their keeper, who is having an amazing day. The opponent's
Nguyen Thanh Nam gets a yellow card for arguing that it's offsides.
1-0
At half,
Ntibazonkiza gets a breather, with
Khoa on for him.
Van Viet also replaces captain
Phan Anh Tuan
56 -
Nguyen Thanh Nam (ST) runs down a long ball down the right flank and crosses for
Van Hau's easy put away and doubled tally
2-0
60 - Keep giving them chances like that, they'll score
2-1
67 -
Chi Thanh in at DL
Nguyen Thanh Nam (MC) put up a 7.7 and
Do Van Hau took PotM honors with an 8.8. This probably should have been a draw, but we'll take the 3 points. Especially since our lead now expands to 8 points.
We suddenly make a huge profit for the month, enough to put us back in the black. I investigate this:
Evidently that's money from the Vietnamese Cup away gate receipts, because the numbers don't add up with home instances. I also see that last season,
Ca Mau made $20.09k in gate receipts in the Vietnamese National Cup Semi-finals... with a home game. Both of the last two seasons had their highest attendances in the National Cup (2,710 last year; 1,718 the year before).
Yet, our average attendance is only 915, well below last season's 1,102 and slightly below two years ago at 923. On the flip side, our lowest official attendance (not counting friendlies) is 883 this year compared to 731 last season and 667 the year before. None of which explains why we've already beat last year's gate receipts by over $4,000 and we're not quite halfway through the season.
Something to puzzle over.
Anyway...
vs Dak Lak (3rd)
G: Hoang Thanh Tung
D: Nguyen Van Thanh/Phan Anh Tuan/Nguyen Van Viet/Dao Tien Dung
MC: Van Van Loi/Idrissa Ngounou (Nigerien - aka Niger not Nigeria)/Dang Anh Tuan
S: Do Van Hau/Selemani Ntibazonkiza/Nguyen Thanh Nam
All hands on deck for our biggest match of the year. It's going to be a tough one - these guys are in a slump and will be itching to beat us to get back into the swing of things. A win here would give us
a 4 game cushion on 3rd place heading into the back 9.
53 - Disaster, as
Ntibazonkiza twists his knee. Off the field go him and
Nguyen Thanh Nam (ST) for
Van Hoan and
Khoa respectively.
69 - [b]Nguyen Thanh Nam (MC) for the
Dang Man
86 -
Nguyen Thanh Nam puts it in the middle to
Van Loi for the pass to
Van Hoan just outside the box. He threads up a pass up and right to
Khoa, who finally rifles in his first Ca Mau score!
1-0
7.0 sub showing on the game winner by
Nguyen Anh Khoa, but it was
Van Van Loi's 8.6 that takes home PotM.
FUCK!
Selemani Ntibazonkiza is out 4-5 weeks!!! 
This is even shittier because it happens right at the start of the bullshit compacted schedule.
@ Dak Lak (4th)
G: Hoang Thanh Tung
D: Nguyen Van Thanh/Phan Anh Tuan/Nguyen Van Viet/Dao Tien Dung
MC: Nguyen Anh Tuan/Idrissa Ngounou (Nigerien - aka Niger not Nigeria)/Dang Anh Tuan
S: Do Van Hau/Nguyen Thanh Nam/Tran Anh Tuan
So we get them right back on the back end.
Ha Noi FC is 8 points behind still at the halfway mark, so they're breathing down our necks.
8 - Shitty fucking passing gives away the ball cheaply and them chance after chance after chance
0-1
31 - STOP FUCKING CLEARING IT RIGHT TO THE OPPONENTS!
59 - Off go
VAn Hau and
Thanh Nam for
Khoa and
Van Hoan respectively.
Tien Dung switches to DL and
Thanh Hai is in at DR
61 -
Tien Dung throws in to
Tran Anh Tuan for the long kick back to
Thanh Hai. Gorgeous moon cross has
Khoa rising up off the ground and smashing in the equalizing header, leaping over the defender and keeper to do so
1-1
We could have consolidated even further with a win, but it is what it is.
@ Can Tho (8th)
G: Hoang Thanh Tung
D: Vo Chi Thanh/Nguyen Thanh Hai/Nguyen Van Thanh/Dao Tien Dung
MC: Van Van Loi/Nguyen Anh Tuan/Nguyen Thanh Nam
S: Do Van Hau/Nguyen Anh Khoa/Nguyen Thanh Nam
Jury-rigging a B lineup because of health issues. I'm wondering if the second half of the schedule is going to be a mirror of the first half. ...Yep, it is. Was it like that last season? I don't know.
16 -
Van Loi's longball *just* evades the defender to fall at
Van Hau's feet. He goes into the box, draws three defenders, lays off for
Nguyen Thanh Nam (ST)'s run, and there's the score
1-0
31 -
Tien Dung high balls the cross and
Van Hau heads it to
Khoa's head, and that second header lofts softly over the keeper and into the net.
2-0
Ngounou comes on for
Nguyen Anh Tuan at the half.
68 -
Dang Anh Tuan comes in for
Van Loi and switches places with
Nguyen Thanh Nam (MC)
Do Van Hau owned the field today with an 8.4 PotM award, and
Nguyen Thanh Nam (MC) is his second with a 7.3.
Ha Noi FC and
Dak Lak played to a draw, so we're now 10 points up on 2nd place, 14 up on 3rd with 7 games to play. 12 points, or a 4-3 record over the last 7, gives us the league title even if the other two teams win out.