VietNamNet Bridge – Victory over Quang Ninh Coal this weekend on home turf will help Hai Phong level the record of seven consecutive wins that Hoang Anh Gia Lai set up in 2004. Hai Phong are not considered a candidate for the cup this season but they have had a phenomenon run with six wins and 18 points to stand on top of the table.

Que Ngoc Hai says he will try best to help Song Lam Nghe An win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai in Pleiku. File Photo

Their keys are their forwards with their sharp scoring skills.

“I asked my players to counter-attack in all previous matches but my foreign strikers worked perfectly,” Hoang said about the secret that ensured his team’s triumph.

Errol Stevens and Andre Fagan scored eight goals and assisted four times in Hai Phong’s 14 winning goals.

They are the best duo in the V. League at present.

The defenders are not as good as their teammates in the front line, but Van Phu, Anh Hung, and Van Nhien and goalkeeper Dinh Xuan Viet are a strong shield against any attack.

Viet suffered only two goal losses after six rounds, the best performance among V. League teams.

However the coming match is considered the biggest challenge that the coach Truong Viet Hoang and his team face since the beginning of the season.

“Quang Ninh, under their coach Phan Thanh Hung, have become redoubtable rivals. They are a team of excellent individuals and I am sure the match will be tense,” Hoang said.

Quang Ninh have shown potential this season but are struggling in the lower half of the ranking.

After six matches they are at No 9 with only seven points.

However, they have made a comeback with an important 3-1 win over former champions Song Lam Nghe An last week under new coach Hung who was the former national coach.

In that match their best players, Dyachenko Rodion Sergey and Vu Minh Tuan, marked their presence with two goals.

Further, Hung will welcome back national defender Nguyen Thanh Hien, who failed to make the team one month ago because of injury.

The dynamic player whose scoring skill is a plus, will not only strengthen Quang Ninh’s defence but also become a new element in the front line.

Going by sheer statistics, Quang Ninh have not won anything in their earlier visits to Hai Phong in the last two years.

Another match that has caught people’s attention is the one between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Song Lam Nghe An in the Central Highlands city of Pleiku.

It will be a clash between numerous national and U-23 players.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai players have not been allowed to meet with Song Lam Nghe An players ahead of the match to avoid gossip, according to their managing board.

Last season, Hoang Anh Gia Lai came from behind to beat Song Lam Nghe An 3-1 in the last match and successfully stayed with the V. League.

Before and after the match, people saw the players of two sides meeting and chatting. It gave rise to rumours of match-fixing, even though after the match the bosses of both clubs made things amply clear.

Nguyen Tan Anh, representative of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, said the new rule would be applicable till the rest of the season.

This year, Hoang Anh Gia Lai are in a good mood after their second win over Can Tho last Sunday, while Song Lam Nghe An on the hand lost 1-3 by Quang Ninh Coal.

Midfielder Que Ngoc Hai of Song Lam Nghe An said his team would return home with three points.

The team, despite playing on away ground, will receive the support of some 2,000 supporters who will travel from HCM City and Nghe An Province to ‘make Pleiku yellow’ with their fan club’s uniform and banners.

“Their three best players are on loan, but they still have other talented players to fill the gaps. They are now more experienced than last year,” Hai said.

Hai received a gift of VND400 million (US$18,000) from the Hoang Anh Gia Lai boss to as compensation for an injury he had inflicted on SHB Da Nang’s player Tran Anh Khoa last season. He had been asked to pay VND800 million as a fine which would be used for Khoa’s treatment, or Hai would have been banned. The Hoang Anh Gia Lai boss Doan Nguyen Duc generously offered to pay half the fine.

 “I thanked Duc profusely. The money he gave me was precious, and he helped me stay out of big trouble. But I am a player of Song Lam Nghe An and I will do the best for my team. I want a win, so have no choice but to play with 100 per cent of my ability,” Hai said.

Hai Phong’s foreigners Andre Diego Fagan (right) and Errol Anthony Stevens (left) play key role in their team’s six wins in V.League. They are expected to shine at this weekend match against Quang Ninh Coal. Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

In their eight meets, the score is equal, with each side having won three and drawn two.

A game Can Tho versus FLC Thanh Hoa is between two rich clubs of the league.

Both sides spent billions of dong in shopping for numerous famous names to prepare for the season.

They helped them a lot with Thanh Hoa coming second in the ranking and Can Tho fifth, a positive place for a team who plays in the V. League in the second year.

Can Tho have their home turf advantage and they can expect a good result as they have won all their matches at home this season.

This is also a match where the coach Vu Quang Bao meets with his former team for the first time since he left Thanh Hoa for Can Tho last February.

A game between defending champions Becamex Binh Duong and SHB Da Nang is the latest match of this round.

Binh Duong, who were eliminated from the AFC Champions League, now have only the V. League tournament to play this season.

And their main duty is to defend their title.

Elsewhere, Sai Gon FC is trying to win their first game at their new home, when they host Long An at the Thong Nhat Stadium.

Ha Noi T&T found their touch after beating Long An 5-2 last week and will visit Dong Thap, while Quang Nam will entertain Sanna Khanh Hoa on home soil.

Source: VNS