After the end of phase I, two groups in phase II were formed, in which the group of 8 teams competing for the championship was determined to be Hanoi Police, Thanh Hoa, Hanoi Club, Viettel, Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, Nam Dinh, Hong Linh Ha Tinh; the six teams falling into the relegation group were Cong Lan Nghe An (SLNA), Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), Khanh Hoa, SHB Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and B.Binh Duong. For the teams in this phase, especially those at the top of group A and the bottom of group B, each match is like a "final". Meeting direct competitors will bring both opportunities and challenges, just a little carelessness can cost you dearly and eliminate you from the game.
Hanoi police (red shirts) still lead the rankings. Photo: VPF
After leading the first phase of the table and receiving two quality additions, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai and goalkeeper Filip Nguyen, Hanoi Police are considered the top candidates for the championship. However, what the police team has done recently is quite disappointing, they were just eliminated from the National Cup and then continued to share points with Hong Linh Ha Tinh on the field in the first round of the first phase. Although this result did not cause Hanoi Police to lose the top spot, the gap between them and their opponents was shortened. With the same victory in this round against Binh Dinh and Hai Phong, Hanoi Club and Viettel are putting a lot of pressure on the team from the same city. Hanoi Club currently has 25 points, equal to Hanoi Police but ranked behind due to losing the secondary index, while Viettel with 1 point less is ranked third.
After a successful start to the season, Thanh Hoa is showing signs of "running out of steam" in the final rounds of Phase I as well as the first round of Phase II. The 0-2 home defeat to Nam Dinh caused the Thanh team to lose second place and now fall to fourth with 23 points. At this time, Thanh Hoa is only one point ahead of Nam Dinh, the team ranked fifth.
The championship race and the relegation battle in V.League 2023 are tense at both ends of the rankings. Photo: VPF
The unpredictable results in the first round of the second phase have made the championship race more intense when the gap between the number one position of Hanoi Police and the fifth-placed team of Nam Dinh is only three points (one win) and the eighth-placed team of Binh Dinh is only six points (two wins) while this year's tournament still has six more rounds to go. Round 2 (taking place this evening, July 22) is expected to be very interesting when all four top teams, Hanoi Police, Hanoi Club, Viettel and Thanh Hoa, have to play away.
In the relegation race, SLNA and HAGL have almost won the right to decide after the victories in the first round. So the race to escape relegation is only a race between four teams: Khanh Hoa (13 points), SHB Da Nang (11), B.Binh Duong (8) and Ho Chi Minh City Club (8). The most difficult will certainly be B.Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City Club, these two teams will have to make great efforts in the remaining stages. In the second round, Ho Chi Minh City Club will play a "six-point" match with Da Nang at home, B.Binh Duong will also play at home against HAGL, similarly Khanh Hoa also has the advantage of home and home field when meeting SLNA.
VINH HY
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