Ho Chi Minh City FC trounced Nam Dinh FC 2-0 in their match day 2 meeting at Thong Nhat Stadium, March 5, to stay firmly on top of the V.League table with nine points after three consecutive victories.

HCM City and Nam Dinh FC players compete for the ball during their match at Thong Nhat Stadium. (Photo: VPF)

Manager Chung Hae Seong’s side showed danger in their fast attacks with the mobility of foreign duo Vinicius and Matias, who forced Nam Dinh’s defensive line to work hard with their superior fitness and physique.

However, it was the away side who produced the first clear-cut chance of the match. After 28 minutes, Pereira Diogo curled a cunning shot towards the far corner, but keeper Thanh Thang made a timely save to rescue HCM City.

A few minutes before halftime, the deadlock was broken for the hosts, as Vinicius set up Pham Van Thanh to finish off Nam Dinh goalie Dinh Xuan Viet and give Chung Hae Seong’s troops a 1-0 lead.

After the restart, Nam Dinh FC dominated ball possession and deployed dangerous attacks on the HCM City goal, but failed to convert any of the created opportunities. The wastefulness forced them to pay dearly, as substitute Thanh Binh, again assisted by Vinicius, beat keeper Xuan Viet from 15 metres to seal a 2-0 win for HCM City.

With the convincing victory, HCM City have extended their winning streak this season to three matches and further consolidated their grip atop the V.League standings with nine points.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC conceded their second defeat in a row after losing 1-3 to Saigon FC at Pleiku Stadium on the same day. Da Sylva opened the scoring for the guests after 16 minutes only to see his efforts cancelled out by Van Toan, who equalised for the Gia Lai team eight minutes later. Pedro restored Saigon’s lead in the 57th minute before Quoc Phuong scored the third for manager Nguyen Thanh Cong’s side 17 minutes from stoppage time.

Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN could not make use of the home-field advantage to clinch their first win of the season, having been narrowly defeated 3-4 by Hai Phong FC. The third consecutive loss keeps manager Vo Dinh Tan’s team stuck at bottom with zero points.

Nhan Dan