Hai Phong clings to the hope of winning the V-League
The only goal of the match came in the 43rd minute. After Trieu Viet Hung's free kick, captain Nguyen Hai Huy headed the ball back to the far corner. Goalkeeper Tran Liem Dieu threw himself and touched the ball but could not save Nam Dinh.
This result helps Hai Phong increase the unbeaten streak to 13 matches, and at the same time occupy the top of the V-League table. Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's team currently has 45 points, one point more and two more games than Hanoi. In this round, Hanoi played late, meeting Viettel tomorrow.
Having to win to be able to hold on to the hope of racing for the championship, Hai Phong pushed up the offensive squad right at the opening, even though it had to be kicked on the Thien Truong Stadium full of spectators. The away team excelled in possession time, created great pressure and constantly made the opponent's defense wobble. In the 5th minute, from the poor coordination of the defense and Nam Dinh goalkeeper, the ball came to Nguyen Van Minh's feet. The 23-year-old midfielder of Hai Phong immediately hit the crossbar with the ball, but goalkeeper Tran Liem Dieu rushed to control it.
Just a minute later, Hai Phong had another chance. After a cross from the right, Rimario turned up the dispute, making Nam Dinh defender unable to break it. The ball reached Trieu Viet Hung's feet, but when the goal was wide open, the midfielder borrowed from HAGL shot the ball sideways.
After about 10 minutes of being forced, Nam Dinh regained the position. However, the pressure to win points to race for relegation seems to make the home players psychological, often controlling or passing errors when on the ball. Using only one foreign soldier also makes the host's attack power not strong enough. Mansaray, when he has the ball, can usually only wait for his teammates to go up or pass, making the attack phase lose its surprise.
After conceding a goal, coach Vu Hong Viet added foreign soldier Rodrigo to the field in the second half. But the home team's attack power has not improved. They couldn't even hit a dangerous shot. Meanwhile, Hai Phong switched to playing defense - counterattack, in order to preserve the score 1-0.
While Hai Phong clings to the championship hopes, Nam Dinh is still at the penultimate position with 20 points. They are one point ahead of the Saigon group, and the match against this same opponent in the 25th round will be the "reverse final", which determines which team must receive the relegation ticket.
