Vietnam Petro Gas V-League 2008: Successful round for visiting teams

V-League 2008 is entering a critical stage and the 20th round on July 12 saw important wins for The Cong, Hoa Phat Hanoi and Song Lam Nghe An in their away matches. The army team The Cong seized the top position while Haiphong dropped to the second following a 2-1 loss to Thanh Hoa.

The Cong players celebrate a goal

In the previous round, The Cong suffered a 2-0 loss to bottom-placed Hanoi ACB. However in this weekend, the army team recovered their fans’ belief in the race for the championship title by defeating two-time champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 3-2. 

With the support of home fans, Hoang Anh Gia Lai attempted to dominate the game by launching a series of attacks. The guests The Cong missed a chance to take the lead in the 10th minute as the ball hit the post.

The hosts had more ball possession however they failed to break the concentrated defence line of The Cong. As a result, they had to pay a price in the 43rd minute. Raphael Rodrigues received a right-corner pass and made an opener for The Cong. Two minutes later, Ngoc Anh levelled the score for Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

The hosts started the second half with rapid attacks but they missed two good opportunities. And once again, The Cong resumed their advantage following a difficult shot by Van Nam in the 61st minute which gave goalie Thanh Tu no chance to prevent.

Quang Vinh widened the score to 3-1 for The Cong in the 75th minute. Three minutes later, Kone Mohamed refreshed the hope for Hoang Anh Gia Lai, however a 3-2 win was maintained in favour of The Cong to the last whistle.

Meanwhile, Da Nang enjoyed their second consecutive victory after crushing Binh Dinh 4-1 in a visiting match. Bottom-placed Hoa Phat Hanoi also had a surprising 3-1 win overSaigonPort. 
 

Cong Vinh (yellow) scores two goals for Song Lam Nghe An

In other matches, Khanh Hoa defeated Hanoi ACB 1-0 while Song Lam Nghe An beat Dong Tam Long An 4-1. Haiphong failed to maintain their top place after they were defeated by Thanh Hoa with a 2-1 score. A penalty award in the last minute in the match against Nam Dinh helped Binh Duong secure a win and jump to third place.