Dramatic race for V-League championship and relegation

V-League 2024 - 2025 is entering the final rounds, converging all the elements that create dramatic matches: a thrilling championship race, a fierce relegation battle, positive phenomena and even off-field controversies.

"Early final" between Nam Dinh and Hanoi

Round 21 will certainly leave a strong impression and could become a turning point of the season. The highlight of round 21 is the confrontation between Nam Dinh Club and Hanoi Club at Hang Day Stadium on May 4 ( FPT Play).

These two teams are leading the rankings, only 2 points apart. The defending champion Nam Dinh Club is determined to maintain the top position, while Hanoi Club is ready to do everything to soon reclaim the "throne" of V-League.

Kịch tính cuộc đua vô địch lẫn trụ hạng V-League - Ảnh 1. — Hanoi Club (right) with the ambition to reverse the situation and take the top spot of V-League from Nam Dinh Club. Photo: VPF

Winning 3 and drawing 1 in the last 4 matches, Hanoi FC became the best team in V-League in April 2025. Captain Van Quyet and his teammates had a spectacular sprint at the end of the season. They had an 8-match unbeaten streak, rising to second place in the rankings to kindle hope of winning the V-League championship this season.

The result of the match against Nam Dinh FC at Hang Day Stadium is considered the hinge that opens the door for Hanoi FC to return to the top position of Vietnamese football. Therefore, if they cannot beat the defending champion in round 21, it can also be considered a failure for coach Makoto Teguramori and his team.

Meanwhile, if Nam Dinh FC wins at Hang Day Stadium, they will create a gap of up to 5 points over their opponents and have more advantages to accelerate to the finish line. Given the importance and heat of the match, the V-League organizers have decided to invite foreign referees to officiate. Mr. Muhammad Izzul Fikri Kamaruzaman - a Malaysian FIFA referee - will officiate the match, while his compatriot Razlan Joffri Bin Ali will operate the VAR room.

The use of foreign referees shows the level of tension and fierceness of the championship race in the 2024-2025 season. This move is also seen as a way to calm public opinion after a series of controversies about the professionalism of Vietnamese referees in previous rounds.

Da Nang Club in trouble

Continuously at the bottom of the rankings, Da Nang FC is also facing many difficult challenges in the race to the finish line. However, in the context of the risk of relegation, the Han River team has created surprising results when drawing with Binh Duong, Nam Dinh and winning against Thanh Hoa in the last 3 rounds.

This result could not help coach Le Duc Tuan's team escape the bottom position but it has shortened the gap with the teams above. However, in round 21, Da Nang is expected to have difficulty scoring points when competing with the home team The Cong Viettel at 7:15 p.m. on May 2 (FPT Play).

After 20 rounds, the race for the top spot is limited to only 3 teams: The Cong Viettel, Hanoi and Nam Dinh. If looking at the overall standings, The Cong Viettel is at the most disadvantage when temporarily ranked 3rd with 33 points, 6 points behind the leading team Nam Dinh.

However, V-League still has 6 more rounds. The army team still has a chance to improve its position when only facing not-so-strong opponents in the next rounds, respectively: Da Nang, HAGL, Binh Dinh, Hai Phong.

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang said goodbye to The Cong Viettel after round 20 and took the "hot seat" instead of Mr. Popov. Although he achieved many successes during his time leading Thanh Hoa Club and is knowledgeable about V-League, this Bulgarian coach will not easily change the playing style of his new team in a short time.

Therefore, welcoming Da Nang Club is an opportunity for Coach Popov to review the force, grasp the actual situation and have a plan to build a reasonable squad to accelerate to the finish line, completing the goal of bringing The Cong Viettel into the top 3.

Round 21 will witness many "life and death" matches at the bottom of the table. Teams such as Da Nang, Binh Dinh, SLNA, HAGL, Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City are struggling with the relegation battle and any mistake at this time can be paid dearly" - Coach Pham Minh Duc commented.