VietNamNet Bridge –Both Song Lam Nghe An and Ha Noi T&T pocketed victories in yesterday's penultimate round, setting the scene for their clash next week as the final of the V-League.

The leading team Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) came from behind to defeat Ha Noi ACB 3-2 at Vinh Stadium while the runner-up T&T won 1-0 over Hai Phong in Ha Noi.

ACB's captain Pham Thanh Luong opened the score after a breaking off-side trap and netted exactly at the eighth minute of the match.

The sudden loss forced SLNA to push up their team and opened space for more attacks. They found an equaliser about 10 minutes later by Hoang Van Binh, whose header went to the far corner of the net.

From that point on, the visitors continued to dominate, securing their victory in the 62nd minute when Nguyen Hoang Helio converted a penalty into a goal. His teammate Nguyen Trong Hoang then raised the score to 3-1.

The host tried their best in the remaining minutes but only Lucas scored to narrow the result.

It was not enough for them to avoid being relegated to the First Division next year, after having been promoted for one season.

Defending champion T&T had the advantage of home turf in their match against Hai Phong. Coach Phan Thanh Hung showed his great determination to secure a victory, which he considered the only way to help them maintain position against SLNA.

Hung asked his players to attack from the very beginning of the match and their strikers had at least three threatening chances but they missed each time.

Hai Phong answered with two opportunities by Anicet and Aniekan, which were both blocked by former national goalie Duong Hong Son.

News that SLNA were leading the score in the second half came to Ha Noi made the host team more aggressive.

After many attempts, top striker Le Cong Vinh scored the only goal of the match in the 70th minute.

After round 25, SLNA are still leading the pack with 48 points while T&T lag behind with 45. The winner of the season will be identified next week when the two sides finally meet. SLNA have the advantage because they lead the point tally and will play on their home turf. Only one draw result would make them the champions.

In other news, Hoa Phat Ha Noi, another Hanoian team, recovered from a dangerous position with a 3-2 win over Dong Tam Long An.

They are now third from last with 29 points, while Long An are one step behind with 27 points.

In the final next weekend, the losing team will be the second side relegated to the First Division next season.

In other activities, former champions SHB Da Nang drew 1-1 with Becamex Binh Duong. Khatoco Khanh Hoa beat Thanh Hoa 4-2. Ninh Binh defeated Dong Thap 2-0 and Navibank Sai Gon won 2-1 over Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News