The bottom half of the rankings is stuffy when Hoang Anh Gia Lai wins the first match.

The first victory of Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa clubs has made the bottom half of the V-League 2025-2026 rankings suffocating because of the close difference in points.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai (left) had a surprising victory over The Cong - Viettel - Photo: MINH ANH

Round 8 of V-League 2025-2026 took place last weekend and witnessed many unexpected results, causing the rankings to change continuously.

Up until round 8, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa were the two teams that had not known a win, only drawing and losing, and were at the bottom of the table. And simultaneously, both had their first win of the season in round 8.

Important victory for Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa

Playing at home, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club surprisingly defeated the championship candidate The Cong - Viettel, who were full of spirit, and ranked 2nd on the rankings with 4 wins and 3 draws.

After only 61 minutes, the match was almost decided when the mountain town team led 2-0 before The Cong - Viettel equalized 1-2 in the 90+10 minute. This was an unbelievable result if looking at the quality of Hoang Anh Gia Lai's squad.

Thanh Hoa FC also beat host Song Lam Nghe An 1-0 thanks to a goal by striker Rimario Gordon. This was an important victory for coach Choi Won Kwon and his team in a difficult situation after the club's president Cao Tien Doan was arrested for economic crimes.

"As you know, the situation of Thanh Hoa Club is extremely difficult. Up to now, it has been 4-5 months since we received our salary. Personally, I have been working here for 3 months and have not received my salary.

However, today's victory can help change the situation and change the rankings. I hope it will help the team unite more and have positive changes behind the scenes," the Korean coach confided.

The joy of Thanh Hoa players after the first win in V-League 2025-2026 - Photo: VPF

The bottom group is tense.

The victories of Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa clubs pushed the bottom group to a more tense position. Because SHB Da Nang only drew 1-1 on the field of Nam Dinh Club despite leading until the 88th minute.

This result puts Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Song Lam Nghe An and SHB Da Nang on 6 points each. The team from the mountain town has a slight advantage with 1 match left in round 4, but against Cong An Ha Noi, it is difficult to hope for points.

But the teams above are also worried if they do not play successfully in the upcoming round 9. Because the gap between the 7th ranked team and the bottom 3 teams is only 1 - 3 points.

Especially the teams with close points like Nam Dinh (8 points), PVF-CAND, Becamex TP.HCM and Thanh Hoa (all 7 points).

The upcoming round 9 will feature two head-to-head matches between struggling teams. Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC will host the declining champions Nam Dinh at Pleiku Stadium on October 31, while SHB Da Nang will meet Song Lam Nghe An at Hoa Xuan Stadium on November 1.

Whether they escape the danger zone or continue to sink deeper into this group is receiving much public attention. Especially for Nam Dinh Club, the team has not shown any improvement despite replacing coach Vu Hong Viet with technical director Nguyen Trung Kien.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nua-cuoi-bang-xep-hang-ngot-ngat-khi-hoang-anh-gia-lai-thang-tran-dau-tien-20251028110425771.htm