The "steel wall" of the mountain town football team

VHO - In a match where Hanoi FC made more than 20 shots, young goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien became a "hero" with more than 10 excellent saves, helping HAGL hold the score to 0-0 right at Hang Day Stadium. The brilliant performance of the U23 Vietnam goalkeeper not only brought the first point for the mountain town team in V-League 2025/26, but also opened a turning point in his career.

Goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien's spectacular flying save in the match between HAGL and Hanoi FC in a 0-0 draw

Hanoi FC entered round 2 with heavy pressure after the defeat against Ho Chi Minh City Police in the opening match. Although they have not been able to return to the championship candidate position, hosting HAGL at Hang Day Stadium is a great opportunity for the capital's football representative to gain points.

In recent times hosting the mountain town team, Hanoi FC has achieved good results. In addition, coach Makoto Teguramori and his team are determined to win 3 points against HAGL, which just lost 0-3 to Becamex TP.HCM and is considered much weaker.

But contrary to expectations, HAGL entered the match with confidence, ready to attack the capital team. In the 4th minute, Pham Tuan Hai tested Trung Kien's ability with a long-range shot. Three minutes later, HAGL's foreign player Gabriel responded with a dangerous diagonal shot. The climax was in the 10th minute, when Ryan Ha faced Van Chuan but his shot missed the post by a hair.

Hanoi increased the pressure, launching a series of dangerous opportunities from Tuan Hai, Daniel Passira and Xuan Tu, but all were stopped by HAGL's tight defense, with Quang Kiet rolling forward and Trung Kien steady in the goal.

If in the opening round, the defeat against Ho Chi Minh City Police could be considered a regrettable “misstep”, then being held to a draw by HAGL right at Hang Day made the questions about the true strength of coach Makoto Teguramori and his team become clearer. After two rounds, Hanoi FC has only 1 point, a disappointing start compared to the expectations and ambitions of the capital team. This achievement not only warns about the effectiveness of the playing style but also reflects the greater difficulties and challenges that Hanoi FC will have to face in the remaining stages of the season.

During the 90 minutes, Hanoi launched more than 20 shots, but all were powerless against the "magic" hands of Tran Trung Kien. The U23 Vietnam goalkeeper made more than 10 saves, many of which were decisive: In the 27th minute, he brilliantly blocked Daniel Passira's tight-angle shot; in the 35th minute, he flew to save Luiz Fernando's tricky curling shot, causing the Hang Day stands to gasp in amazement; in the first half's extra time, he used his excellent reflexes to block Xuan Tu's close-range header and in the second half: From the 74th to the 90th minute, Xuan Manh, Van Quyet and Van Tung were all denied goals by Trung Kien in direct confrontations.

The most tense moment happened in the last second of extra time when Hai Long broke free, crossed for Thanh Chung to tap the ball into the empty net. Hang Day Stadium exploded, but after a VAR check, the goal was disallowed for offside. HAGL breathed a sigh of relief, and Trung Kien had another spectacular "survival".

Coach Le Quang Trai of HAGL was extremely proud: “Trung Kien had a great match. He was focused, had good reflexes and added confidence to the whole team under the terrible pressure from Hanoi FC”. Meanwhile, coach Makoto Teguramori of Hanoi FC expressed regret: “We created many opportunities but could not beat Trung Kien. He played a perfect match”. Trung Kien himself, despite being praised, remained humble: “I just tried my best to help the team. I alone could not have achieved this result, it was the effort of the whole team. HAGL fought until the last second”.

The 0-0 draw at Hang Day Stadium helped HAGL earn their first point in the 2025/26 V-League, temporarily rising from the bottom of the table. More importantly, Tran Trung Kien's performance added confidence to the mountain town team before their away match at Ho Chi Minh City Police Stadium in round 3. From a personal perspective, this can be considered a boost in the career of the 22-year-old goalkeeper born in 2003. In the context of the Vietnam U23 team preparing to gather for the 2025 U23 Asian qualifiers, this brilliant performance will help Trung Kien score points in the eyes of coach Kim Sang-sik and open up a great opportunity for him to become the number one goalkeeper of the U23 generation.

From a young goalkeeper, Tran Trung Kien has attracted the attention of experts and fans since last season because of his impressive height (1m95). However, this is the time when he stepped into the light with a performance worthy of being in the "highlight" of V-League 2025/26.

Trung Kien not only helped HAGL stand firm against the suffocating pressure from Hanoi FC, but also affirmed his mettle and potential to become one of the leading "goalkeepers" of Vietnamese football in the future.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/buc-tuong-thep-cua-doi-bong-pho-nui-164219.html