HAGL - the lovable 'spoiler'

Entering the 2025-2026 V-League season facing numerous challenges as a number of key players left the team, HAGL is gradually reshaping itself with impressive victories.

At the start of the 2025-2026 season, HAGL parted ways with several key players such as center-back Ly Duc (who joined Hanoi Police FC), defender Van Son, midfielder Minh Vuong (who joined Truong Tuoi Dong Nai FC), and Ngoc Quang (who joined Ninh Binh FC). This loss of personnel led to consecutive defeats for the team, consistently placing them at the bottom of the table. There were times when many fans expressed frustration and disappointment, believing the team would struggle to avoid relegation.

HAGL (right) is gradually escaping relegation in the V-League standings.

PHOTO: MINH TRAN

Fortunately for HAGL, the league had long breaks to allow young Vietnamese players to participate in the SEA Games 33 and the U23 Asian Championship, helping the team gradually establish its core structure and solidify its playing style according to the coaching staff's philosophy. Without the star players, the team's playing style focuses on the collective cohesion of young players such as Van Trieu (23 years old); Phuoc Bao (22 years old); Minh Tam, Moi Se (21 years old); Quang Kiet (19 years old); Gia Bao (18 years old)… along with three foreign players forming the core of the three lines: Jairo Rodrigues (center back), Marciel Da Silva (midfielder), and Gabriel Dos Santos (forward).

The enthusiasm of this young team was evident in their fiery playing style, constant movement, and relentless pressing across the entire field. A prime example was their victory against second-placed Ninh Binh FC, where HAGL denied the home team's players any space for group coordination, a strength of the team from the ancient capital. All routes to goalkeeper Trung Kien's goal were blocked, forcing Ninh Binh FC's strikers to resort to long-range shots, which posed no real threat to the Vietnam U23 goalkeeper.

A remarkable characteristic of HAGL's young players is their rapid maturation. At the beginning of the season, fans of the team from the mountainous region saw center-back Dinh Quang Kiet appearing clumsy and lacking in situational awareness, but now this young defender has become much more mature. He tackles and challenges very decisively and aggressively, even against tall foreign strikers. Moreover, with a height of 1.95m, Quang Kiet easily wins aerial duels against opposing strikers.

With two wins against Da Nang FC and Ninh Binh FC, the team from the mountainous region has climbed to 8th place in the standings with 14 points after 13 rounds. If they continue their passionate and scientific style of play as in the last two matches, HAGL's young players could very well become a charming "spoiler" this season. However, because they are only 3 points ahead of 13th-placed PVF-CAND, meaning a difference of one win, the risk of falling to the bottom of the table remains ever-present for Coach Quang Trai's team. Therefore, HAGL needs to be alert and highly focused in every match to avoid a bad outcome at the end of the season.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-ke-pha-binh-de-thuong-185260209202041001.htm