Hanoi FC have a tentative hold on the 2018 V.League trophy after coming from a goal down to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory over FLC Thanh Hoa in the 20th round of play last weekend.

Hanoi FC are now only three points away from the 2018 V.League trophy.

Manager Chu Dinh Nghiem’s side went on to show their potent attacking power, as all of their three forwards, Hoang Vu Samson, Van Quyet and Quang Hai, found the back of the net to score all of the away side’s three goals against a dismayed Thanh Hoa keeper, Buu Ngoc.

The aforementioned triumph helped the capital team to strengthen their grip on first place in the provisional 2018 V.League standings with 51 points, 16 points clear of second-placed Sanna Khanh Hoa BVN.

With the 2018 V.League having only six matches left to go, Hanoi FC will need only one more win, to secure the three points needed to become the overall winners. 

Furthermore, given what they have performed so far, Chu Dinh Nghiem’s players are on the verge of setting a new record in the history of the V.League for the most points won at the moment of being crowned the champions, as the three previous title holders only reached 52 (2015 season), 50 (2016 season) and 48 points (2017 season), respectively.

Song Lam Nghe An (in yellow) have equalled the record of winning eight consecutive V.League matches, set by Dong Tam Long An 13 years ago.

Meanwhile, with the first loss in eight matches, FLC Thanh Hoa fell out of the table’s top three and now sit two points behind third-placed Song Lam Nghe An, who put in a brilliant performance to crush Hoang Anh Gia Lai with a score of 3-1.

The victory saw Nguyen Duc Thang’s side equal the record of winning eight V.League matches in a row, set by Dong Tam Long An FC 13 years ago. The impressive results over recent rounds have seen Song Lam Nghe An fly high in the provisional standings, rising to third place with 32 points. 

If they can maintain such stunning form in the remaining six rounds of the 2018 V.League, the central team are quite likely to be rewarded as medalists at the end of this year’s season.

XSKT Can Tho dropped to bottom position for the first time after failing to overcome Saigon FC in a relegation crunch match on home turf. As for the winners, the 3-1 victory was a lifebuoy for Saigon FC’s bid to avoid relegation.

Ho Chi Minh City FC took advantage of newly promoted Nam Dinh FC’s 1-1 tie with reigning champions Quang Nam and Saigon’s defeat to XSKT Can Tho to take a big leap up the table after Round 20. 

Following a 13-game winless run, Toshiya Miura’s side have begun to spark hopes of retaining their place in the V.League next season by beating Quang Ninh Coal 2-1 for a second league win in a row. 

The much-needed victory has temporarily moved HCM City out of the relegation zone with a two-point lead over the next-placed team, while enabling the Japanese tactician to breathe a sigh of relief and comfortably work on their tactics for the remaining games of the 2018 V.League.

Nhan Dan