Domestic player's mark

VHO - Round 18 of the V.League concluded with all the characteristic colors of the final stretch: the top team dropped points, the chasing pack gained renewed hope; while at the bottom, every point became a "lifeline," potentially changing the order after just one round. Another noteworthy point is the emergence of the Vietnamese U23 players, who are no longer "apprentices" but are directly determining the points for their clubs.

Dinh Bac and many other U23 Vietnam players made their mark.

The highlight of the round was at the PVF stadium, where PVF-CAND held Hanoi Police (CAHN) to a 1-1 draw. While this result didn't cost CAHN their top spot, it significantly narrowed the gap with second-placed The Cong Viettel to 7 points, intensifying the title race as there's still plenty of room for unexpected changes.

Conversely, The Cong Viettel did exactly what they needed to do: secure three points against Thanh Hoa . However, this match is not only talked about because of the score. The final minutes became the focus due to coach Velizar Popov's furious reaction to referee Nguyen Viet Duan, resulting in him receiving a red card and being sent off. In the context of the championship race being under intense pressure, such details highlight a reality in the V.League during the final stages of the season: character lies not only in the players' feet but also in the ability of the entire technical staff to control their emotions.

While the leading group was excited by draws and narrow victories, the chasing pack was more vibrant in a different way, with close but particularly valuable wins. Ninh Binh continued to demonstrate the tenacity of a team that knows how to score at the right time, winning 2-1 against Becamex Ho Chi Minh City away from home. Along with Ninh Binh, Hanoi FC also gained momentum with a 3-0 victory over Hong Linh Ha Tinh.

In the top half, Hai Phong also had a memorable round, winning 3-0 against Ho Chi Minh City Police at Lach Tray. While the top half saw narrowing gaps in the standings, the bottom half experienced more direct changes, with PVF-CAND escaping the bottom and SHB Da Nang sinking deeper after a 0-1 defeat against SLNA. Round 18 also witnessed another significant "shock" when HAGL beat Nam Dinh 2-1 at Thien Truong Stadium. This result had a double meaning: it pulled HAGL further away from the danger zone and reiterated the unpredictability of the V.League, where the "favorites" cannot win simply by controlling the game.

In the aforementioned events, a prominent thread is the role of the Vietnamese U23 players. In the PVF-CAND - CAHN match, Nguyen Dinh Bac scored for the league leaders, while Xuan Bac scored the equalizer, securing a valuable point for the team battling relegation. At Go Dau Stadium, Le Van Thuan continued to be a "strategic asset" for Ninh Binh, scoring the decisive goal in injury time to secure all three points.

Moments like these highlight a significant shift: young players are no longer just there to gain experience, but are playing a game-deciding role – something the V.League previously relied on foreign players or seasoned veterans for. In depth, this also enriches the league's identity, as competition is fostered by internal strength, by a new generation maturing under real pressure.

Alongside the championship race, the story of the top scorer among domestic players is also worth watching, especially with the U23 stars consistently making their mark. On the top scorer leaderboard, the list of goalscorers is still dominated by foreign players; however, the group of domestic players is starting to make an impact, with Nguyen Hoang Duc recorded 6 goals, and Do Hoang Hen (Hanoi FC) also having 6 goals at the time of this statistical analysis. This is noteworthy because Hoang Duc is a midfielder, and his consistent goalscoring demonstrates his "two-in-one" role – both organizing and finishing chances, a rare quality maintained for an extended period in the V.League environment with many foreign players.

The U23 group is also not left out of this race. Player statistics show that Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND) has 3 goals in the V.League 2025/26. Meanwhile, at HAGL, Nguyen Minh Tam, a striker born in 2005, has scored 3 goals, becoming one of the bright spots in the young attack at Pleiku. When compared to the "scoring moments" of Dinh Bac and Van Thuan in round 18, it can be seen that the domestic race is gradually forming a new competitive axis: not who scores the most immediately, but who scores at the right time, directly contributing to the points – something that often makes a season memorable.

After round 18, the V.League showed a familiar pattern of the decisive phase: the top team no longer has a "straight line," and the bottom team has no "way back." CAHN still holds the advantage but paid the price for a drop in points; The Cong Viettel still has a chance if they maintain their winning streak and discipline; Ninh Binh and Hanoi FC are holding their pace, waiting for their rivals above them to slip up; while the bottom of the table fluctuates every round, where even a single point can change positions.

Amidst this picture, the most positive aspect perhaps lies in the maturation of the next generation. Round 18 wasn't just about the scoreline, but also about the stories of Dinh Bac, Xuan Bac, and Van Thuan – the U23 players who directly created the impact. And when the race for the "Top Domestic Scorer" begins to be seen as a professional indicator, that's when the V.League shows its long-term value: not only producing champions, but also contributing to the creation of players capable of carrying the future of Vietnamese football.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/dau-an-noi-binh-219520.html