Round 8 of the V-League: Ninh Binh remains strong, top group reshuffled

Although Ninh Binh at the top stays consistent, the order of the following teams has been disrupted.

Playing away at PVF’s stadium against PVF CAND with a less than strongest lineup and conceding an early goal, Ninh Binh still demonstrated their ability by making a comeback to win 3-1.

This marks the second consecutive away game where Ninh Binh secured full 3 points, proving that Coach Albadalejo Castano Gerard’s squad can be considered serious contenders for the V-League title, even though this is their first season in the top professional club league.

Contrary to Ninh Binh’s impressive away performance, The Cong Viettel did not share the same joy when visiting HAGL’s Pleiku stadium. Before hosting The Cong Viettel, HAGL had yet to claim a win in the V-League, but after 90 minutes plus over 10 minutes of added time, the mountain town team finally celebrated their first victory.

Although this 3-point gain does not improve HAGL’s position on the standings, it provides a foundation for the team to aim for better results in the near future. Meanwhile, Coach Velizar Popov will surely recognize the tasks needed to help The Cong Viettel quickly return to their winning form.

Failing to earn points in Round 8, The Cong Viettel lost their second place as CAHN secured a 1-0 victory over Ho Chi Minh City Police in the latest match of the round, overtaking The Cong Viettel. This was a remarkable win for Hanoi Police, as Coach Alexandre Polking’s team played with 10 men for over two-thirds of the game after Le Van Do received a red card in the 20th minute, yet they held firm and even scored the decisive goal.

While Hanoi Police took full advantage of their home ground to claim 3 points in Round 8, another home team, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, had to settle for a 1-1 draw against SHB Da Nang.

Due to the absence of many key players because of injuries and illness, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh could not perform impressively on the day they welcomed new head coach Trung Kien. Surely, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh will strive to overcome this difficult phase and soon restore the image of the reigning champions who were unbeaten and victorious in the past two seasons.