'Dark horse' appears in the first round of V-League 2025-2026

Not only did the two rookies cause surprises, other teams also had excellent performances in the first round of V-League 2025-2026.

Hoang Duc (right) and the new Ninh Binh club had the joy of winning the opening match - Photo: VPF

The first 7 matches of V-League 2025-2026 took place excitingly last weekend. The most impressive were the impressive performances of the two first-class teams that just won promotion to V-League, Ninh Binh and PVF-CAND.

Newcomers heat up the championship and relegation race

Deserving of their reputation as a phenomenon of last season's V-League, Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club scored the opening goal and caused many difficulties for newcomer Ninh Binh until the final minutes of the match.

But the stars of the ancient capital Hoa Lu team shone at the right time to bring home the victory. The two new players Duc Chien and Dung Quang Nho were the ones who scored the equalizer 1-1 and raised the score to 2-1 for Ninh Binh Club before Gia Hung sealed the victory 3-1.

Similarly, rookie PVF-CAND also played well on the first day playing at the highest level of Vietnamese football.

Promoted thanks to Quang Nam FC leaving the league, despite not having much time to prepare their squad, this first division team has shown that they are not easy to bully. Coach Thach Bao Khanh's team defeated a team that has never known relegation like Song Lam Nghe An 2-1.

The victory of two new players Ninh Binh Club and PVF-CAND in the opening round also makes the championship race and relegation race this season extremely attractive.

Ninh Binh Club shows that it will be a strong candidate for the championship alongside the defending champion Nam Dinh, Hanoi, Cong An Hanoi or The Cong - Viettel.

Rookie club VPF-CAND (red shirts) dominates Song Lam Nghe An - Photo: VPF

Meanwhile, PVF-CAND forced weak teams such as Song Lam Nghe An, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, SHB Da Nang... to be cautious in the race against relegation. Especially Hoang Anh Gia Lai, the team lost 0-3 right at home in Pleiku against Becamex TP.HCM.

Hot coaching bench

There was not much time to prepare the team and train after the team was transferred and renamed from Ho Chi Minh City Club to Ho Chi Minh City Police, but coach Le Huynh Duc led his team to a 2-1 victory over the runner-up Hanoi right at Thong Nhat Stadium.

The victory was even more meaningful for the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club as this was the first match in which the former symbol of city football made his return to the fans. The performance of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club showed that they are not only a "dark horse" but also ready to compete for the championship if given the chance.

The convincing debut of Coach Le Huynh Duc also makes the race for the coaching bench this season very hot. Especially for teams that have invested a lot to win the championship.

Coach Le Huynh Duc directs Ho Chi Minh City Police Club - Photo: NK

Coach Teguramori Makoto (Japan) could not beat his colleague Le Huynh Duc even though Hanoi Club had a stronger squad than Ho Chi Minh City Police Club.

Three other foreign coaches also could not have joy in the opening match. Coach Alexandre Polking (Germany-Brazilian dual nationality) and Velizar Popov (Bulgaria) were inconclusive when Hanoi Police Club drew 1-1 with The Cong-Viettel.

Former assistant coach Kim Sang Sik, Choi Won Kwon (Korea), also only helped Thanh Hoa Club draw 1-1 with SHB Da Nang at home in his debut match.

5 foreign coaches in V-League, but only coach Albadalejo Gerard (Spain) enjoys joy with Ninh Binh Club. A harsh and not easy start.

For coach Vu Hong Viet, leading Nam Dinh Club to win the third consecutive championship is not easy after what the teams showed in round 1.

Even the team from Thanh Nam was led by a weaker team like Hai Phong, and could only come back to win 2-1 thanks to a goal by Vietnamese-American player Kevin Pham Ba in the 88th minute.

Good news from the audience

The opening round of V-League 2025-2026 recorded the attention and cheering of a large audience. According to records, a total of 46,450 people (an average of 6,636 people/match) came to the stadium to cheer.

Hang Day Stadium welcomed the largest crowd of 11,950 people at the capital derby between Hanoi Police and The Cong-Viettel.

The second largest stadium is Thong Nhat Stadium, where the official opening ceremony took place, which was extremely exciting and grand, with 10,000 spectators watching the match between Ho Chi Minh City Police and Hanoi.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngua-o-xuat-hien-ngay-vong-dau-v-league-2025-2026-20250818150321822.htm