The closest race to win the V-League 2023 championship

V-League closed the curtain on August 27, when CAHN drew Thanh Hoa 1-1, and Hanoi won Viettel 3-2. Those results mean CAHN finished the season with Hanoi points (38), but more than goal difference (+18 vs +13).

In the 2016 season, Hanoi and Hai Phong ranked first with 50 points, so the sub-index must be considered. In the two confrontations then, these two teams won 2-1 at home, so the scores were equal. They have to take into account the goal difference and Hanoi won the championship due to better parameters (+17 vs +15).

A year later, Quang Nam and Thanh Hoa finished the tournament with 48 points, ranking first. But considering the confrontation, Quang Nam won four points, so the champion, because the opponent only had one point. The key was Quang Nam's 3-2 win at Thanh Hoa Stadium, while the two teams drew 1-1 in Tam Ky. If the 2017 tournament rules consider the goal difference of the whole tournament first, Thanh Hoa will be the champion (+15 vs +14).

Quang Nam's championship in 2017 is also a big surprise in the history of the tournament, because Hoang Van Phuc's teachers and students are not appreciated. Their squad, notably only Dinh Thanh Trung, Phan Thanh Hung, Nguyen Huy Hung, Tran Van Hoc or Dao Van Phong, while foreign soldiers are Claudecir or Nguyen Trung Duong (naturalized) are not special. In the last round, thanks to Hanoi's stumble with a score of 4-4 at Quang Ninh Stadium, the championship fell to Quang Nam.

The biggest difference between the two top teams of the V-League is in the 2018 season, when Hanoi won the championship with 18 points more than the second runner-up Thanh Hoa. That season, the Capital Club also kept other records such as 20 wins, two defeats, 72 goals scored, +42 goal difference and 64 points.

Quang Nam's achievements in 2017 are not too impressive, when the team's win rate for the whole season is only 0.5 - the lowest among the champions in the tournament. They also conceded 1.23 goals per game, the third most after Long An in 2006 and Binh Duong 2015. The champion with the best defense was HAGL in 2004 with 0.68 goals conceded per game.

CAHN also joined the group to win the V-League once, after Saigon Port in 2002, Quang Nam 2017 and Viettel 2020. The remaining six champions all have two or more titles, the record belongs to Hanoi with six times. crowned in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

This is the first season CAHN returns to the V-League after 20 years. The team changed its name from Cong An Nhan Dan (CAND), after winning promotion last season. CAHN became the first team to win the championship immediately after being promoted after 20 years, since HAGL in 2003.

This is not too surprising when Van Duc was injured and his form declined, while Quang Hai took a long time to integrate. This is the first season that Van Duc has not scored a goal in the V-League since he was injured and rested for most of 2019. And before scoring the first goal for CAHN - in the 3-0 victory over Viettel in the penultimate round, Quang Hai went through a series of more than 20 matches at all levels.

The best scorer in the V-League 2023 is Nguyen Van Quyet with nine goals, despite being suspended for eight matches mid-season. The achievement of the captain of the Hanoi club is only behind three foreign players, the top scorers Rafaelson, Jhon Cley and Bruno Cantanhede. His performance of 0.69 goals per game is also his personal best at the tournament.