VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi T&T built on the top spot and Becamex Binh Duong ended their winning streak; these are two of the five highlights of the 2014 V-League 17th Round, which concluded last weekend.

Hanoi T&T (in yellow) make an impressive comeback against Vicem Hai Phong.

1. Hanoi T&T build on top spot

Defending champions Hanoi T&T edged out Vicem Hai Phong 3-2 in their Sunday clash, thanks to a shining performance by Argentinian striker Gonzalo D. Marronkle. The victory helped Hanoi continue their reign atop the provisional standings with 32 points, and build on their advantages on the way to a V-League title defence.

2. Becamex Binh Duong winning streak snapped

Binh Duong’s eight-game winning streak came to an end with a surprising 1-3 loss to Quang Ninh Coal on Saturday. With this unexpected defeat, Binh Duong missed the chance to catch up with Hanoi T&T in the race for this year’s V-League title.

3. Cong Vinh produces fantastic personal showing

The clash between Song Lam Nghe An and QNK Quang Nam on Saturday witnessed top Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh’s best personal performance of the 2014 season.

Vinh made a significant contribution to Nghe An’s 3-0 victory, opening the scoring with a skillful strike and delivering two passes that enabled teammates Voinea and The Cuong to hammer in the other two goals.

4. Relegation race gets tighter

The race is getting fiercer and fiercer for bottom-ranked teams Dong Tam Long An and Hung Vuong An Giang, who hope to escape the playoff match for next year’s V-League slot that is played between the last-placed V-League finishers and the third-placed team from the First Division. The An Giang players had their spirit and confidence boosted with a narrow 0-1 win over Dong Nai on Saturday, while Long An beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1 in their Sunday clash to maintain a five-point lead over the An Giang team.

5. An unlucky round for hosts

Four out of the five hosts suffered defeat in the 17th round of play, including Dong Nai, QNK Quang Nam, Vicem Hai Phong and Hoang Anh Gia Lai. Quang Ninh Coal was the only triumphant host team, rolling past Becamex Binh Duong 2-1 in their Saturday game.

Source: Nhan Dan