Round 20 of V.League 2024/25 on April 25 witnessed the stable performance of the team from the "Red Mountain and La River" land.

Viettel The Cong Club and Hong Linh Ha Tinh won to continue the race at the top of the rankings. The two teams that suffered defeat, Song Lam Nghe An Club and Ho Chi Minh City Club, were unable to "shake off" the rivals chasing behind them...

Ho Chi Minh City FC aims for 3 points when hosting Hong Linh Ha Tinh. The home team is very excited after a fairly successful away trip to Hanoi (drawing with Cong An Ha Noi and Thep Xanh Nam Dinh), and has great motivation as they will "cut off" the pursuit of the two bottom-ranked clubs if they win.

However, coach Phung Thanh Phuong and his team could not complete their goal, and could not even accumulate any more points after the match. The away team Ha Tinh , with the shining name Viktor Le, won 1-0 with the only goal of the overseas Vietnamese player: in the 54th minute, Viktor Le took a long shot from outside the penalty area, the ball hit the ground, surprising the home team's defense, opening the score of the match. The lucky goal had an extremely important meaning, helping Ha Tinh temporarily rank 4th, opening up the opportunity to compete for the top spot.

The Cong Viettel Club won 1-0 against Song Lam Nghe An to take 3rd place in the rankings, while putting a lot of pressure on Hanoi Club (34 points) and Nam Dinh Club (36 points). The only goal of the match was a penalty kick scored by striker Pedro Henrique in the 85th minute.

In this match, Song Lam Nghe An Club had some notable attacks but could not turn them into goals. Most notably, in the 51st minute, Song Lam Nghe An was awarded a corner kick on the right wing in the direction of the away team's attack. Ho Van Cuong was the one to take the free kick, then Le Van Thanh tapped the ball into the goal.

The main referee did not recognize the goal because the assistant referee - who had the best view of the field when standing close to the goal line - raised his flag very early, confirming that the ball had gone out of bounds after a corner kick by Van Cuong. Meanwhile, Nghe An fans said that "the referee had deprived Song Lam Nghe An of a valid goal".

Ho Chi Minh City Club and Song Lam Nghe An did not gain any more points in the first two matches of round 20, making the race in the bottom group extremely tense and attractive. The opportunity to shorten the score or surpass the clubs in the same group will open up a more dramatic competition. Quang Nam Club and Hoang Anh Gia Lai have more motivation to rise up, surpass Ho Chi Minh City Club, widening the gap with Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club. The bottom team SHB Da Nang (11 points) is certainly trying hard in each round to gain more points, shortening the gap with the team ranked above, Quy Nhon Binh Dinh (16 points).

On Saturday, April 26, there will be only 1 match between Nam Dinh Blue Steel and Becamex Binh Duong at Thien Truong Stadium.

Tuan Ngoc

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/hong-linh-ha-tinh-vuon-len-gianh-co-hoi-dua-tranh-top-dau-post546700.html