Coach Vu Tien Thanh explains the reason for Ninh Binh's four consecutive matches without a win.

Speaking after the match between Ninh Binh and SHB Da Nang in round 15 of V.League 2025/26, Coach Vu Tien Thanh admitted he was surprised by the excellent performance of his former student, who was once mentored by Coach Park Hang Seo.

This match also marked the debut of Coach Vu Tien Thanh as the new head coach of Ninh Binh Club.Although the home team dominated the game and had many dangerous opportunities, they still could not capitalize to secure all three points at home.

After the match, the 1964-born tactician could not hide his regret. Coach Vu Tien Thanh shared: "I think we played decently today. After a streak of three losses, the whole team set very high goals. We played well in the first half, but seemed to falter somewhat in the second half. Ninh Binh had 4-5 clear chances in front of goal but failed to convert them into goals; that was unfortunate."

Besides the lack of luck, Coach Vu Tien Thanh also praised goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan from SHB Da Nang. He said: "This draw owes much to Van Toan from SHB Da Nang. He made some miraculous saves that truly surprised us."

Nguyen Van Toan is not an unfamiliar name to fans of Vietnamese football.The goalkeeper born in 1999 was once a student of Coach Park Hang Seo and participated in the journey with the U23 Vietnam team to win the gold medal at SEA Games 31 on home soil in 2022.

In the match against Ninh Binh, the goalkeeper from Hai Phong continuously made crucial saves against dangerous finishing situations from the home team. His solid performance helped SHB Da Nang preserve the draw and secure a valuable point.

Notably, this was also Van Toan's debut match wearing the jersey of the Han River team after transferring on loan from Hai Phong Club. His impressive performance against Ninh Binh is seen as a promising start for the 26-year-old goalkeeper at his new club.

Despite not being able to win on his debut day, Coach Vu Tien Thanh still commented: "Ninh Binh is a well-invested team and belongs to the strong group of the league. The players here are excellent; during training sessions, I hardly need to remind them much about technical aspects."

However, this strategist also frankly pointed out the biggest limitation of the team at this moment is that the fitness foundation is not truly solid., causing Ninh Binh difficulty in maintaining playing intensity throughout the match. Coach Vu Tien Thanh affirmed: "We will need more time to improve. I believe in just a few more matches, the team will show more positive changes."