Abass Dieng could be considered the most valuable player of the game with his contributions to all the three goals of Binh Duong.

The Senegalese striker gave Binh Duong an early lead with a close-range cunning finish seven minutes into the game.

He then went on to mark his presence in the red-coloured team’s second goal with a delightful pass enabling Trong Hoang to handily double the advantage in the 20th minute.

Binh Duong continued their frightening pressure on Da Nang during the remainder of the first-half, forcing the guest side to concede another goal 18 minutes before the break.

With three goals in hand, Binh Duong started slowing down their attack pace in the second half, allowing the visitors to perform better.

Da Nang enjoyed a 55th-minute penalty following Xuan Thanh’s foul on Hoang Quang, but Pejic squandered this golden opportunity to narrow the gap for his team with a converter striking the post.

It was not until the remaining 10 minutes to play that Da Nang succeeded in finding Binh Duong’s net, with two consecutive goals scored by Gomez (80th minute) and Ngoc Thang (90th). However, this late uprising was not enough to prevent Binh Duong from touching their third victory in a row since the 2015 V-League beginning.

The 3-2 win secured Binh Duong top spot with nine points and made them the only team to remain a winning streak after three rounds of play. Meanwhile, SHB Da Nang were sitting second closest to the bottom with zero points following a hattrick of losses.

Another V-League powerhouse, Hanoi T&T dropped victory on home turf again, drawing 4-4 against QNK Quang Nam, with three of Quang Nam’s four goals scored in the last 10 minutes to play.

Other third-round matches included Dong Thap – Dong Nai (4-1); XSKT Can Tho – Quang Ninh Coal (2-3); Dong Tam Long An – Song Lam Nghe An (1-1); Sanna Khanh Hoa – LG Hai Phong (0-0); and Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Thanh Hoa (1-2).