The V.League championship race is becoming more exciting.

The V.League championship race is becoming more exciting.

Nam Dinh FC was expected to gain an advantage against lower-ranked Ho Chi Minh City FC at their home stadium, Thien Truong, especially considering the visitors were missing both their number one goalkeeper, Patrik Le Giang, and their number two, Van Tien. However, Ho Chi Minh City FC took the lead after successfully capitalizing on a mistake by the home team, and Nam Dinh's subsequent efforts only resulted in an equalizer through Romulo.

Viettel FC took the lead twice on the pitch in Ha Tinh, but could only come away with one point as Hong Linh Ha Tinh fought back until the very last minute to end the match in a 2-2 draw. Following that, Hanoi FC also shared points with Hai Phong in a 0-0 draw. This meant the capital city team missed the opportunity to close the gap with Nam Dinh.

Hanoi police rekindle hopes of winning the championship. Photo: Hanoi Police.

The team that benefited most in this round was Hanoi Police. They came from behind to beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai and moved up to 4th place.

After round 18, Nam Dinh still leads with 35 points, followed by Hanoi FC in second place (31 points), The Cong Viettel in third (30 points), and Hanoi Police in fourth place with 28 points. This means the championship race will have one more contender, and if they maintain their current form, Hanoi Police can certainly aim to finish the season in one of the top three positions.

Coach Polking said: “This is a very important victory, affecting the atmosphere in the locker room. This is the second time Hanoi Police has come from behind. Another thing that shows we are a team that never gives up. We always aim for the best possible final result.” “I like pressure and challenges. But whether I stay or leave is not within my control. I will try to continue one game at a time,” Polking added.

Coach Vu Hong Viet commented: “I feel very disappointed with the draw at home. This result slightly affects the championship race as we missed the opportunity to pull ahead. We created many scoring opportunities from our coordinated attacks, but our strikers were ineffective in the final stages.”

This is an area that needs improvement. In the remaining matches, our opponents are by no means weak. Having reached this stage, each team will take to the field with its own purpose, playing for itself. The leading teams are determined to gain more points to compete for the championship. Similarly, the teams at the bottom want to avoid relegation. Nam Dinh Club needs to focus and tackle each match one at a time to achieve its goals for this season.”

This is a crucial stage where the championship race is becoming increasingly exciting. Looking at the current situation, anything can happen in the upcoming rounds. Hanoi FC midfielder Hung Dung commented: “The whole team tried very hard, so it's a shame we didn't win. We created many opportunities but couldn't capitalize on them. That's football, but the whole team tried their best. Currently, Hanoi FC, Nam Dinh, The Cong Viettel, and Hanoi Police are all in the championship race. This will be a very tense competition.”

Hanoi FC is still 4 points behind the league leaders, and the capital city team needs to make the most of the remaining matches to secure maximum points. Hanoi FC coach Makoto Neguramori said: “In the race, we have seen the reigning champions Nam Dinh leading the table. We will focus on accumulating points to close the gap with Nam Dinh.”

I'm really looking forward to this direct confrontation and I believe we can win. Not long ago, Hanoi FC was 10 points behind Nam Dinh. Now we have a chance, but we'll have to fight until the very last match.

Round 19 this weekend promises further changes in the top group as the contenders all face tough opponents.

The relegation battle situation

The relegation battle also witnessed a turning point in Round 18 of the V.League 2024-2025, when Quy Nhon Binh Dinh secured a precious 2-1 victory at Tam Ky Stadium against Quang Nam.

This was a match where Quy Nhon Binh Dinh fell behind early but quickly scored two goals to turn the situation around, and despite being heavily pressured in the latter half of the second half, Quy Nhon Binh Dinh held firm to leave with all three points.

Thanks to this result, Quy Nhon Binh Dinh has narrowed the points gap with SLNA, who are above them, to just 2 points, and is now only 4 points behind Quang Nam.

Not to be outdone by Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, SHB Da Nang also demonstrated their resilience by holding Becamex Binh Duong to a 1-1 draw at Go Dau Stadium. While this result may not improve SHB Da Nang's position in the standings, it remains a strong motivation for coach Le Duc Tuan's team for the remainder of the season.

After round 18 of the V.League 2024-2025, both the championship race and the relegation battle remain open, and it is impossible to confirm anything about the expected final rankings of the teams at this time.

HH

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/cuoc-dua-vo-dich-v-league-hap-dan-hon-i765164/