Tien Linh spoiled the happy day for The Cong - Viettel.

Striker Nguyen Tien Linh earned a point for Ho Chi Minh City Police FC in their 1-1 draw against The Cong - Viettel in Round 25 of the V-League 2025-2026 at Binh Duong Stadium.

Tien Linh celebrates with his teammates - Photo: CAHCMFC

On the evening of May 31st, The Cong - Viettel Club failed to achieve their goal of securing the runner-up position with one round remaining. Striker Nguyen Tien Linh's equalizer disrupted the visitors' plans.

Having been held to a draw in the penultimate round away from home, The Cong - Viettel faced a determined performance from the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club players, who were ranked 5th in round 25.

Constantly dominating and controlling the ball better, The Cong - Viettel put the ball into the net past goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik first.

However, VAR indicated that number 14 Martins Paulo kicked Mach Ngoc Ha's leg.

However, in the 34th minute, Nham Manh Dung broke the deadlock with a beautiful control and shot inside the penalty area. This was the Vietnamese national team striker's third goal of the season.

Unable to score any more goals, coach Popov became frustrated and constantly shouted from the sidelines. Every time referee Izzul Fikri Kamaruzaman blew the whistle for a foul, the coach would yell.

Even when clashes occurred at the other end of the corner kick, Popov still overreacted, but he turned his face towards the dugout and looked at his assistants, instead of at the referee or the cameras.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police FC is struggling to recover due to its weak attack. However, Tien Linh, after coming on as a substitute, rediscovered his scoring touch.

The runner-up position is still undecided after round 25 - Photo: TCVT

After Khoa Ngo's rebound shot from just outside the penalty area, Tien Linh positioned himself well to tap the ball into the net. The equalizer, making the score 1-1, sent the Binh Duong stadium into a frenzy of joy.

This draw dampened the spirits of The Cong - Viettel. They failed to secure second place despite being 3 points ahead of Ninh Binh. In their final match, coach Popov will face the newly crowned champions, Hanoi Police.

Currently, The Cong - Viettel has 51 points, and Ninh Binh has 48 points. If the two teams are tied on points in the final round, their head-to-head record will also be tied, so goal difference will be used to determine their position.

Meanwhile, Tien Linh's late goal helped his team retain their top 5 position with 35 points.

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QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tien-linh-pha-hong-ngay-vui-cua-the-cong-viettel-20260531204837902.htm