Hanoi - Nam Dinh match schedule: The championship race is about to have a spectacular reversal?

"THE KING OF THE WATER" IS BACK

The 2-1 victory over Quang Nam FC in round 20 of the V-League helped Hanoi FC extend their unbeaten streak to 8 matches. In the past 3 months, since coach Makoto Teguramori took the "hot seat", the capital's representative has won 6, drawn 2, and earned 20 out of 24 maximum points to climb from outside the top 3 to second place in the table. If they beat the top team Nam Dinh in this round, Hanoi FC will take the top spot.

Lịch thi đấu Hà Nội - Nam Định: Cuộc đua vô địch sắp đảo chiều ngoạn mục?- Ảnh 1. — Nam Dinh Club *(left)* needs at least 1 point to keep the top position.

History has proven that if Hanoi FC takes the top spot in the final stages, it will be the end of the championship race. Because throughout history, no team has as much experience and expertise in the V-League championship race as the capital's representative. Van Quyet and his teammates can dominate the whole season like in 2018, 2019, but can also start slowly, and then dominate the game thanks to impressive accelerations like in the 2016, 2022 seasons. Even in non-championship seasons like 2020, 2023 or 2023 - 2024, Hanoi FC also proves the saying "long distance to know good horse" when competing for the top spot until the final rounds.

The secret of Hanoi FC lies in the experience of stars who are used to the pressure of competing for titles such as Van Quyet, Hung Dung, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh..., a playing philosophy that tends to attack and control stability, and a depth of force that surpasses most of the V-League. The presence of coach Teguramori also shows the ambition of Hanoi FC. Instead of being patient with young coach Le Duc Tuan, the capital representative is willing to spend a lot of money to bring home a combative coach like Teguramori, who once coached Japan U.23. Because for Hanoi FC, not winning the championship means failure. The pressure of the title every season is like a fire that feeds the ambition of the purple team. It is from within the fire that the bravery has been formed, helping Hanoi FC always stay in the top 3 of V-League for the past 16 years.

Highlight The Cong Viettel Club 6-0 Da Nang Club | Round 21 V-League 2024-2025

A mind game between Hanoi and the defending champion

To be fair, Nam Dinh FC has weakened compared to last season. Coach Vu Hong Viet no longer has the main striker Xuan Son due to a long-term injury, Hendrio Araujo also left. Recently, striker Van Toan returned to training after recovering, but the 29-year-old player's ability to regain rhythm is still a question mark as he has been injured many times this season.

However, overcoming all, Nam Dinh Club is still leading the V-League thanks to coach Vu Hong Viet's more effective exploitation of collective strength, instead of relying on specific individuals. Players who played quietly last season now have a wider stage to perform, such as Van Vi, Hoang Anh, Tuan Anh, Thanh Hao. Different from the image of taking offense to compensate for defense in the 2023-2024 V-League, the team from Thanh Nam now plays more balanced, scoring the most goals and conceding the second fewest goals in the entire tournament. Difficulties have become the bridge leading Nam Dinh Club to the path where collective strength is more clearly demonstrated. Not letting "difficulty" obscure "intelligence", defending champion Nam Dinh is standing in a position worthy of them.

The stability of Nam Dinh FC makes the crucial match with Hanoi FC even more unpredictable. Last season, coach Vu Hong Viet and his team defeated the former champion Hanoi FC in both matches with thrilling scenarios, when the match was decided in the last seconds. When the two teams have balanced forces and positions, the fighting spirit has become the key factor for Nam Dinh FC to unlock victory. In the first leg this season, Van Vi and his teammates continued to take advantage of the opponent's crisis to win 2-1 at Thien Truong Stadium. However, the historic match at Hang Day Stadium will be very different. Hanoi FC has returned to the winning track and the two teams have the same fighting spirit. If Nam Dinh only needs 1 point to keep the top position, Hanoi FC is in a position to win.

The match at Hang Day Stadium tomorrow night promises to be extremely hot, as this is the stage where the new "boss" of V-League is about to be revealed.

Last night, at Hang Day Stadium, Coach Velizar Popov had a dream start with The Cong Viettel when he defeated Da Nang Club with a score of 6-0. Of which, 5 goals were scored by the home team in the first half thanks to Huu Thang, Pedro Henrique (both scored a double) and Amarildo. In the second half, Coach Popov's students continued to dominate and scored 1 more goal to have a "6-star" victory. The Cong Viettel is still in third place, but the gap with the first and second placed teams has been shortened to 3 and 1 points respectively.