The superior class of Nam Dinh Club

By successfully defending their V-League title, Nam Dinh FC demonstrated their superior quality and squad depth, as well as the impressive leadership of head coach Vu Hong Viet.

Nam Dinh Green Steel Club wins the championship one round early - Photo: NGOC LE

A 2-0 victory against Quang Nam on the evening of June 15th in Round 25 secured Nam Dinh FC the V-League 2024-2025 title one round early. Against a bottom-of-the-table opponent desperate for points and determined to avoid relegation, Nam Dinh had no difficulty winning, even though a draw would have been enough to achieve their goal.

Therefore, the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh in the final round will only be a formality for Nam Dinh. Coach Vu Hong Viet and his team will celebrate and lift the championship trophy at their home stadium, Thien Truong.

With this championship title, Nam Dinh Club equals the achievement of four teams – Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Long An, Hanoi, and Binh Duong – in successfully defending their V-League title for the second consecutive season.

Well-deserved championship.

With 54 points after 25 matches, Nam Dinh FC is 8 points ahead of second-placed Hanoi FC. The gap between them and the team when they won the V-League last season was 6 points. This nearly identical figure shows that Nam Dinh remains a far stronger team compared to the rest of the league, even though their path this season has been far from smooth.

Coach Vu Hong Viet shared after the victory against Quang Nam on the evening of June 15th: "This season, our opponents have figured out our tactics and studied many of our strengths and weaknesses. We also went through periods of losing key players consecutively due to injuries."

Without sufficient squad depth and quality, Nam Dinh may not be able to achieve its goals when having to spread its resources across multiple competitions.

According to Transfermarkt, Nam Dinh FC's squad is valued at 5.6 million euros, the most expensive in the V-League. While not significantly more expensive than Hanoi Police FC (5.41 million euros) and Hanoi FC (5.08 million euros), Nam Dinh lost their most expensive player, Nguyen Xuan Son (700,000 euros), early in the season.

Teamwork and Coach's Impact

Even without their star striker Xuan Son, Nam Dinh still knows how to secure maximum points thanks to their flexible attacking style. Coach Vu Hong Viet has individuals at his disposal who can shine, not only in the attack but also in the midfield and defense.

This is evidenced by the top scorer rankings. Excluding Xuan Son, Nam Dinh FC does not have anyone in the top 10 highest scorers in the V-League so far. However, they have the highest total number of goals in the league (50 goals), even with one round remaining.

That number shows that Nam Dinh is not a "one-man team," and indeed their list of goalscorers is spread across forward, midfielder, and defender positions.

Excluding Xuan Son (injured), midfielder Ly Cong Hoang Anh (left) is the top scorer for Nam Dinh so far - Photo: NGOC LE

The foreign players who scored the most goals for Nam Dinh, Brenner (5 goals) and Mpande (4 goals), both played in multiple positions such as attacking midfielder and center-back, performing more tasks than a typical striker. The top scorer for Nam Dinh was a midfielder – Ly Cong Hoang Anh (6 goals). Van Vi (3 goals) and Kevin Pham Ba (2 goals) were defenders.

Looking at world football, many clubs possess strong squads, but that doesn't automatically guarantee championships. Winning a championship requires more than just a strong squad. Nam Định, under coach Vũ Hồng Việt, has a team with a balanced level of skill, where individuals play cohesively, understand each other well, and know how to shine at the right moment.

This championship title for Nam Dinh FC also celebrates the leadership of coach Vu Hong Viet. Under the guidance of the coach born in 1979, the team from Nam Dinh performed brilliantly, winning 16 matches, including many important games against contenders for the championship.

Most memorable among them was the 3-0 victory against direct rival Hanoi FC right at Hang Day Stadium in the second leg, which took place in early May.

Coach Vu Hong Viet is having a very successful season with Nam Dinh - Photo: NGOC LE

Another factor that played a crucial role in Nam Dinh's championship journey was their fan base. No other club in the V-League has such a large number of supporters as the team from Nam Dinh, with an average of nearly 10,000 spectators per match at Thien Truong Stadium. This is not to mention the many Nam Dinh fans who are willing to travel long distances to away matches to cheer on their team.

The passionate atmosphere in the stadiums where Nam Dinh FC plays has become the "12th player," providing strength to Coach Hong Viet's team and making it difficult for opponents to perform at their best.

Hanoi FC's regret

Failing to win the V-League 2024-2025 championship is a regrettable outcome considering Hanoi FC's efforts. Despite parting ways with many star players they trained and experiencing changes in the coaching staff, the capital city team still bounced back and performed well in the second half of the season, achieving 7 consecutive unbeaten matches and consistently chasing Nam Dinh in the top 2 since round 15.

But a disastrous defeat against the Nam Dinh team in round 21 cost Hanoi the chance to pull ahead, allowing their rivals to widen the gap to a safe 5 points, thus leaving them with the disappointing runner-up position.

NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dang-cap-vuot-troi-cua-clb-nam-dinh-20250616123017649.htm