Haiphong return to top place

Gaining one point in a 1-1 draw with SaigonPort on Sunday, Haiphong have returned to their top position as The Cong were beaten 3-1 by Dong Tam Long An. 

A draw is enough for Haihong (red) to come back to top position

The hosts SaigonPort entered the match with a strong determination to pay their debt in the first stage. They launched a series of attacks in the first minutes, however Haiphong appeared to be solid enough and then returned pressure onto their hosts.

Haiphong missed a good opportunity when Khanh Hung failed to push the ball into the empty net in the 7th minute.

Seven minutes later, a shot by Chi Thang of Saigon Port found the net, but the referee denied the goal for offside. The two teams ended their first half in a 0-0 draw.

HaiphongPort took the lead early in the second half following the goal by Ngoc Thanh in the 55th minute.

Being aware of their ineffective side attacks, the hosts began to change their tactic. They made consecutive long shots and one of which helped level the score. Van Tien received a pass from Chinh Thang and then launched a 30-metre shot which hit the high corner of the net.

The two teams had several more good opportunities, however the score was unchanged until the end of the game.

The draw helped Haiphong restore their top position with 28 points because The Cong suffered a 3-1 defeat, dropping to the second place.

In Pleiku, Hoang Anh Gia Lai secured another win over Thanh Hoa. The only goal of the match was scored by Thai striker Thonglao in the 69th minute. The win increases Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s possibility in the race for the championship title.

In other matches, Binh Dinh beat Hanoi ACB 1-0, climbing up two places while Da Nang and Hoa Phat Hanoi shared one point in a 1-1 draw.

In two early matches on April 17, defending champions Binh Duong moved up one place to sixth with a 1-0 home win over Song Lam Nghe An. Meanwhile, Khanh Hoa beat Nam Dinh 3-2 at home, remaining at 8th place.