HAGL has overcome its darkest period and is about to enter a period of prosperity!

In the last two rounds of the V-League, HAGL earned 4 points. This is a relatively large number of points for a team in the relegation zone.

Stay away from the danger zone.

In round 20, HAGL drew 0-0 with Hai Phong at Pleiku Stadium ( Gia Lai ). In round 21, the team from the mountainous region won 1-0 against SLNA at Vinh Stadium (Nghe An). In two consecutive rounds, they earned 4 points, a significant number for a team that was previously struggling to avoid relegation. In fact, immediately after securing these 4 points, the team from the mountainous region temporarily moved away from the danger zone.

HAGL's schedule will be "easier" in the coming days.

Photo: HAGL Club

HAGL currently has 22 points, 9 points ahead of bottom-placed Da Nang (direct relegation position) and 8 points ahead of second-to-last place PVF-CAND (relegation play-off position). With only 5 rounds remaining in the 2025-2026 season, the chances of HAGL being caught up by these two teams are very low. Especially considering HAGL's upcoming schedule, the team from Pleiku has the potential to accelerate even further.

In round 22, HAGL will play PVF-CAND at home on the afternoon of May 10th. In round 23, the team from Pleiku will face Ha Tinh, also at home, on May 17th. In round 24, HAGL will travel to Thanh Hoa on May 23rd. If they perform well in these matches, HAGL will secure their survival in the league before facing strong team Hanoi FC in round 25 on May 31st at Pleiku Stadium.

Holding the power of self-determination in their hands.

Specifically, if HAGL wins against PVF-CAND this weekend, they will extend their lead over their direct rivals, who are likely to threaten their relegation spot, to 11 points, with only 4 rounds remaining in the league. If HAGL defeats PVF-CAND in round 22, the team from Pleiku will almost certainly eliminate this opponent from the relegation battle.

Defender Dinh Quang Kiet (in the blue shirt) is ready to prevent opposing forwards from threatening HAGL's goal.

Photo: HAGL Club

In terms of strength, HAGL is not inferior to PVF-CAND, Ha Tinh, and Thanh Hoa in the upcoming three consecutive rounds, so they have the potential to achieve good results in the upcoming matches. As previously mentioned, HAGL's struggles from round 19 back to round 17 were due to facing strong opponents, including The Cong Viettel, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh.

The team from the mountainous region played reasonably well in the aforementioned rounds, but suffered last-minute defeats against Ninh Binh (1-2 in round 17) and The Cong (0-1 in round 19), due to HAGL's inferior squad depth compared to their opponents. However, when facing weaker teams like Hai Phong (round 20) and SLNA (round 21), HAGL demonstrated their ability to withstand pressure, keeping clean sheets in the last two rounds.

The advantage for coach Le Quang Trai and his players in the upcoming rounds is that they don't necessarily have to play offensively, because HAGL has already created a relatively safe points gap with the relegation zone or the play-off positions. HAGL can simply deploy their signature defensive counter-attacking style; it's their opponents who need to be anxious to score, not them.

Once HAGL adopts a defensive counter-attacking style of play, it's not easy for other teams to penetrate their tall and experienced defense, which includes goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (1.91 m), center-backs Jairo (1.90 m) and Dinh Quang Kiet (1.95 m). Conversely, when HAGL plays counter-attacking football, opponents must be wary of the technique and speed of their attacking duo: midfielder Marciel Silva and striker Junior Batista.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-da-qua-con-bi-cuc-se-toi-hoi-thai-lai-185260504155216451.htm