Round 18 V-League: Ho Chi Minh City Club "holds back" the defending champion

Before the 18th round of V-League 2024-2025, all predictions were that the top group of the rankings would continue to widen the gap with the chasing teams behind, because in this round they all met opponents with lower rankings. However, the result was different from the initial assessment.

At Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh aims to win 3 points when hosting Ho Chi Minh City Club to widen the gap with the chasing group and accelerate to the finish line early. The away team did not have the strongest squad but surprisingly scored the opening goal by taking advantage of Nam Dinh's defensive mistakes.

The defending champions could only level the score in the second half, when foreign player Romulo scored a lucky free kick in the 60th minute.

Ho Chi Minh City FC not only got a valuable point but also "held back" Nam Dinh in the race to the finish line. Coach Vu Hong Viet and his team still held the top spot but still kept a 4-point gap compared to the team behind - Hanoi FC.

On the same day, Hanoi FC also only got 1 point against Hai Phong after a goalless draw at Lach Tray. Before that, The Cong Viettel also lost the chance to return to the top 2 when they shared points with the home team Ha Tinh despite taking the lead twice.

Nam Dinh, Hanoi FC and Viettel all failed to win in round 18, leaving the top 3 on the rankings unchanged. This result also helped Hanoi Police shorten the gap with the top 3, becoming the 4th candidate in the V-League championship race.

Similarly, the relegation battle is also unpredictable and exciting after round 18, when Quy Nhon Binh Dinh won 2-1 against Quang Nam and shortened the point gap with Song Lam Nghe An.

SHB Da Nang also raised the chance to stay in the V-League when holding Binh Duong to a 1-1 draw at Go Dau. However, this result could not help Da Nang escape the bottom position of the table, currently being left far behind the group above with a gap of 6 points.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vong-18-v-league-clb-tp-hcm-niu-chan-nha-duong-kim-vo-dich-196250414075114842.htm