A season ends, many questions arise

"Hot" race for top 3 and play-off spot

If last season, Nam Dinh Club won the championship thanks to the outstanding scoring efficiency of Nguyen Xuan Son, the striker who scored 31 goals, then this season, they won the championship in the opposite situation - without their main striker for most of the time.

Without the individual as a fulcrum, Nam Dinh shifted to building a diverse and flexible attacking system, with names like Ti Phong, Brenner, and Ly Cong Hoang Anh sharing the task of scoring goals. As a result, the team from Thanh Nam is not only the champion in terms of points, but also the champion in terms of adaptability and overcoming difficulties.

If the championship was decided early, the race for third place was only decided in the final round. CAHN with 45 points maintained the third place overall, 1 point more than The Cong Viettel . In the final round, while The Cong beat Ho Chi Minh City Club 2-0, CAHN also fulfilled its mission with a 2-0 victory over Hai Phong to maintain its position.

The real suspenseful development of the final stage of V.League 1-2024/25 lies in the battle to avoid a ticket to the play-off match between Da Nang and Quang Nam , two neighboring teams. Quang Nam has the right to decide for itself when it only needs 1 more point to stay in the league safely, while Da Nang must both defeat SLNA and hope that Quang Nam does not get any points to be able to stay in V.League.

Da Nang came very close to their goal when they beat SLNA at home, while Binh Dinh lost to Hanoi FC and Quang Nam were led 3-2 by the home team HAGL until extra time.

However, the equalizer 3-3 from the 11m mark in extra time at Pleiku Stadium pulled back an extremely valuable point for Quang Nam to officially finish in 11th place, "giving" 13th place, which means a ticket to the play-off match (with the representative from the 2024/25 National First Division, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club) to Da Nang.

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Not only witnessing the dramatic ending of the top 3 race and the relegation battle, round 26 also had an extremely important turning point when Tien Linh promptly scored 1 more goal, while the 2 strikers with better achievements than Tien Linh before round 26, Lucao (Hai Phong) and Alan (CAHN) were both "silent" in this round, helping Tien Linh rise to share the title of co-Top scorer with 14 goals with Lucao and Alan.

Thus, after 8 years since V-League 2017, there is a Vietnamese striker on the list of top scorers of the national championship.

Another notable highlight of the 2024/25 season is the rise of the generation of players born between 2004 and 2006 - the Gen Z generation that is gradually shaping a new face for the Vietnamese professional playing field. In Nam Dinh, names like Quang Vinh, Van Manh, and Ly Cong Hoang Anh show their mature playing ability, contributing to maintaining the strength of the midfield and creating squad depth.

At Hanoi FC, Nguyen Van Truong has increasingly asserted his role as a coordinator. SLNA Club continues to be a good training ground when introducing many young talents to play impressively in V.League.

On the other hand, the success of Nam Dinh under the leadership of coach Vu Hong Viet, the stability of SLNA with coach Phan Nhu Thuat or the impressive performance of Hong Linh Ha Tinh at the beginning of the season with coach Nguyen Thanh Cong have rekindled confidence in the ability of domestic coaches.

Although it has not yet created a tactical revolution, the advantage of domestic coaches lies in understanding the psychology of players, the ability to adapt flexibly and control the dressing room. In the context of tight finances and the trend of limiting the use of foreign coaches, giving opportunities to domestic strategists is gradually becoming the right choice.

Challenges await next season

V.League 2025/26 promises many changes, most notably the appearance of rookie Ninh Binh. This club just had an extremely impressive First Division season with a 20-match unbeaten streak, winning 58 points and being promoted in the most convincing way. The presence of Ninh Binh also promises to increase the heat for the derby matches in the Northern Delta region, especially with Nam Dinh, Hanoi and Hai Phong.

However, long-standing problems such as unsustainable finances, unprofessional tournament organization, degraded facilities and the problem of attracting spectators remain big challenges.

Apart from Thien Truong and Hang Day, many other stadiums are devoid of fans, making the tournament somewhat less attractive. The match schedule also needs to be calculated reasonably to avoid overlapping with international tournaments such as the World Cup qualifiers, AFF Cup or SEA Games. A scientific schedule will help clubs be more proactive in preparing their forces and maintaining stable competition quality.

V.League 2024/25 ended with clear colors: Nam Dinh asserted its position, young teams rose and the fierce survival battle at the bottom of the table. But beyond the professional results, this season showed a period of transformation, from personnel strategy, coaching mindset to team restructuring.

With the development of young players, the return of Ninh Binh and the expectations from fans, the new season promises to be not just a continuation but a new journey, where attractive stories continue to be written.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/mot-mua-giai-khep-lai-nhieu-cau-hoi-mo-ra-145826.html