The heat of the 2024/25 season play-off

All attention is focused on Thong Nhat Stadium on the afternoon of June 27, where SHB Da Nang – the second-to-last team in V. League 2024/25 – will face Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc – the runner-up in the First Division. Which team will win the last spot to compete in V. League 2025/26 (the losing team will compete in the First Division next season)?

Whether or not to stay in the league is of course a very important issue for Da Nang . Right in this season, we have witnessed the Han River team standing at the bottom in 19 different rounds, including a long series of consecutive bottom matches (from round 8 to round 24). There was a time when experts were convinced that direct relegation was reserved for Da Nang, even when coach Le Duc Tuan came and made some changes.

Although it was very difficult, the most important thing was that the Han River team persevered and did not give up, accumulating each valuable point to maintain the pursuit. The turning point of the relegation race was the 3-1 victory over Quy Nhon Binh Dinh in round 22, followed by an extremely important victory over Quang Nam in round 23 to help level the gap in points with Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, before surpassing with a draw in round 24 against Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

The draw with Hong Linh Ha Tinh and the 2-1 victory over Song Lam Nghe An in the final round helped Da Nang, although they could not escape the second-to-last position, but it was enough for them to regain the right to self-determination through the extremely important play-off match with the representative of the First Division.

It should be recalled that before winning against Quy Nhon Binh Dinh in the "reverse final", starting the last 5-match unbeaten streak (3 wins, 2 draws), Da Nang had lost 0-6 to The Cong Viettel.

But later, some experts said that this was a match where the Han River team actively "reserved their energy" before putting all their efforts into the "life-or-death confrontation" as well as the final rounds.

SHB Da Nang's opponent is Binh Phuoc, one of the two First Division teams (along with Phu Dong Ninh Binh) with extremely good investment. Not only Cong Phuong, the representative from the Southeast region also possesses many new faces of great quality, and at the same time shows the ambition to build a professional and sustainable club.

After failing to catch up with Phu Dong Ninh Binh, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc focused on the race for a play-off spot with their main rival, PVF CAND (also a strong candidate with strong investment and high stability). Everything was decided after the final round, when Binh Phuoc was only 1 point ahead of PVF CAND, taking the runner-up position and the opportunity to play in the play-off to win a spot in the V.League next season.

According to the regulations, SHB Da Nang will not be allowed to use foreign players in this match (similar to the matches between V.League teams and the First Division in the National Cup). This is clearly a disadvantage, because although the quality of foreign players of the Han River team is not high, this still forces coach Le Duc Tuan and the coaching staff to have appropriate calculations to come up with the optimal lineup, while Truong Tuoi will be able to use a familiar lineup of all domestic players. In other words, this will be a very unpredictable match in terms of developments and results.

Last year, Hong Linh Ha Tinh had to play in the play-offs, beat PVF CAND and then thrived in the V.League this season. SHB Da Nang is certainly looking forward to repeating that, hoping to renew itself in the 2025/26 season. But on the contrary, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc is also extremely eager to be able to participate in the V.League for the first time, standing shoulder to shoulder with its "neighbor" Becamex Binh Duong. A match that promises to be very much awaited and exciting!

Tuan Ngoc

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/suc-nong-cua-tran-play-off-mua-giai-202425-post553175.html