'Rough Gem' shines, yet HAGL still faces difficulties

The striker considered HAGL's "rough gem," Tran Gia Bao, shone with a crucial goal against SHB Da Nang. However, a last-minute long-range masterpiece caused the Mountain City team to lose their victory in a breathless 3-3 draw.

The drama began early in the match as SHB Da Nang started confidently, and Dinh Duy's opening goal in the 11th minute was a deserved reward for the proactive approach of the Chi Lang Stadium hosts.

But after the goal,SHB Da Nangwas again pressured by HAGL. HAGL suddenly exploded powerfully in the second half, with central defender Jairo as the key figure.

The Brazilian player had an incredibly strange match, leaving his mark on... all three goals of the Mountain City team.

In the 61st minute, he unleashed a beautiful free-kick to equalize 1-1. By the 69th minute, the 18-year-old "rough gem" Gia Bao capitalized on goalkeeper Van Toan's mistake to put HAGL ahead.

That moment opened great hope for the Mountain City team. Gia Bao showed notable sharpness in the penalty area, and his goal affirmed that HAGL still possesses promising young talents.

But football can sometimes be cruel. Just minutes after leading, HAGL made things difficult for themselves again. In a confused defensive situation, Jairo's effort turned into an own goal, helping SHB Da Nang equalize 2-2.

Nevertheless,Jairostill managed to redeem himself with a goal in the 85th minute following Van Toan's mistake. Minutes later, HAGL goalkeeperTrung Kienmade an error, but striker Milan Makaric wasted the chance. Many believed the Mountain City team had firmly secured three points.

But the added minutes became the stage for extreme drama. Young goalkeeper Trung Kien couldn't save his team from Vu Van Son's unbelievable long-range shot from 35 meters. Chi Lang Stadium erupted over a goal that could be considered a masterpiece of this season.

With a 3-3 draw in an unbelievable script, SHB Da Nang ignited great hope in the relegation battle. With 12 points after round 16, the Han River team stands 13th, trailing Thanh Hoa (who lost 0-1 to Nam Dinh this round) by exactly 1 point and having played one fewer match. That fragile margin makes the battle at the bottom of the table more tense than ever.

SHB Da Nang still hasn't broken their streak against HAGL after many years, but this draw holds significant spiritual meaning. It shows the Han River team is strongly reviving, especially their fighting spirit of not giving up until the last second.

Conversely, HAGL will surely regret. The visiting team led twice, had moments of excellent play, and even seemed to have victory in hand. But a moment of lost focus dissipated all effort. With 15 points and the 11th position, the Mountain City team still cannot escape the danger zone.

Regarding Gia Bao, the 18-year-old youngster who has attracted attention in recent years scored his first V-League goal, and earlier, the 2008-born shooter also scored in the National Cup. With 13 appearances for HAGL in this season's V-League, Gia Bao shows significant progress and deserves to be the "gem" owned by Chairman Duc.