HAGL has a bright chance, Hai Phong is no longer afraid: But the V-League relegation battle is still fierce

Lucao and Minh Di scored to help Hai Phong Club win 2-0 against Ho Chi Minh City Club.

Photo: Kha Hoa

V-League: Hai Phong Club finishes early

On the night of May 9, in the opening match of round 22 of V-League 2024 - 2025, Hai Phong Club played better and pressured the home team Ho Chi Minh City Club at Thong Nhat Stadium, but had to wait until the end of the match to secure victory with 2 goals from captain Lucao and midfielder Minh Di.

A late but sweet victory for the Red Flamboyant team, as it helped coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and his team gain 28 points, completing the relegation target with 4 rounds to go.

As for Ho Chi Minh City FC, they left the field with regret after playing patiently throughout the match, because if they had maintained a 0-0 draw, the "Red Battleship" would have had one hand on the ticket to stay in the league.

This result makes coach Phung Thanh Phuong and his team stand still with 25 points, and will need to find at least 2 more points to be able to sleep soundly.

Coach Anh Duc debuted with the hope of helping Binh Duong Club avoid relegation soon.

Photo: Binh Duong Club

This result temporarily narrows the scope of the relegation race, with the theoretical scope of influence down to 7 teams, starting from the 8th ranked team, Binh Duong Club (25 points) and below.

Opportunity for Binh Duong Club and HAGL

In this round 22, V-League may witness more teams taking the early train to leave the "red light" zone if they win, such as Binh Duong Club or HAGL.

At home, the team from the land of Thu hopes to "change generals and change fortunes" to break the streak of 3 consecutive losses (lost 5, drew 1 in the last 6 matches) when welcoming the Quang Nam team on the debut day of new coach Nguyen Anh Duc.

Binh Duong FC beat Quang Nam FC 2-1 in the first leg with goals from Tien Linh and Janclesio. In this match, the Brazilian centre-back is suspended, but Tien Linh is determined to score to welcome the return of his senior Anh Duc, who gave him early advice.

HAGL (yellow-brown) and Binh Dinh Club are both uncertain about staying in the league.

Photo: Binh Dinh Club

If they get 3 points, Binh Duong Club will have 28 points like Hai Phong Club to ensure their relegation. Also playing at home, HAGL, if they win against The Cong Viettel, will also have 27 points and can rest assured to stand in a safe position, escaping the pressure of the relegation race.

Of course, looking at the way The Cong Viettel destroyed Da Nang Club 6-0 in the previous round, it can be seen that HAGL's task will not be easy at all. But anyway, with 24 points, HAGL's mentality is much lighter than the lower ranked teams.

Increasing pressure on "red light" areas

When Nam Dinh Club has created a one-horse position at the top, the focus of V-League will be on the "red light" group at the bottom of the table, with increasing pressure on the teams in the relegation spiral.

At 6pm today, Da Nang Club (14 points) will play the "reverse final" against Binh Dinh Club (19 points) with the sole goal of winning if they want to maintain their chances of staying in the league.

Da Nang Club (orange) will have to win in round 22.

Photo: Dong Nghi

If they take all 3 points at home, the Han River team will create a huge variable for the relegation race when they are only 2 points behind the second-to-last team Binh Dinh in the tournament with 4 final rounds left where coach Le Duc Tuan and his team will meet direct competitors.

If the away team Binh Dinh wins, they will have the chance to escape the second-to-last position for the first time - which means having to play a risky play-off match.

Even with 22 points, the team from the land of Vo can surpass SLNA (20 points), Quang Nam (21 points) in this round, meeting 2 stronger opponents, Hanoi Club and Binh Duong Club respectively.

It can be predicted that with each passing round, V-League 2024 - 2025 will add a number of clubs to land safely. But this means that the pressure is heavier for the teams still competing for relegation, when the number of matches is reduced, it also means that the opportunity to escape the danger zone is less.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-sang-cua-hai-phong-khong-con-nom-nop-nhung-cuoc-chien-tru-hang-v-league-van-du-doi-185250510090935844.htm