Fourth round of V-League 2008: Cement Haiphong set a new record

Securing a clean 6-0 victory and also the fourth consecutive win, Cement Haiphong have set a new record after they impressively defeated Southern Steel Saigon Port to replace their opponents at the top of the V-League 2008.

Coach and players of Cement Haiphong celebrating their victory

Before the game on January 26, Southern Steel Saigon Port were expecting to face a hard match against the host Haiphong, nevertheless the 6-0 defeat was a complete surprise.

Leandro gave Haiphong an early lead following his goal scored in the 4th minute but the northern team only came out in force in the second half.

Suffering an early disadvantage, Southern Steel Saigon Port abandoned their counterattacks, and attempted to level the score through attack, however they were prevented by the excellent performances of Haiphong’s players on two wings.

After the break, Haiphong resumed their offensive and carried out long passes. As a result in the 46th minute, Ngoc Thanh received a long ball scoring the second goal for Haiphong, bringing the score to 2-0.

Southern SteelSaigonPort fell back while Cement Haiphong continued their attacks. Helio and Elenildo widened the gap for Haiphong, striking on 71st and 78th minutes.

The last minutes saw Haiphong to dominate. Ngoc Thanh scored two more goals on the 82nd and 84th minute to complete his hattrick, also the first hattrick of the season, marking himself as the League’s leading scorer.

Coach Vuong Tien Dung of Cement Haiphong said: “Our players were extremely enthusiastic, especially following the early goal and this inspired them to attack. A victory for us was indispensable.” 

Meanwhile, coach Lu Dinh Tuan of Southern Steel Saigon Port blamed the chilly weather for their defeat. “Cement Haiphong gave an excellent performance combined with their fans’ strong support” he said adding that the defeat was a lesson for his young players in the next matches.

Newcomers, Cement Haiphong, the only representative of the northern port city, have won admiration from other teams, especially well established V-League teams as they continued to face difficulties during this round. Cement Haiphong now have 12 points, taking the lead and remain three points clear of second place Southern Steel Saigon Port.

Defending champions Binh Duong and Thanh Hoa also clinched wins. Thanh Hoa beat two-time champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai on their home turf while Binh Duong pulled off a 1-0 away victory over the former three-time champions Song Lam Nghe An. A close win was enough for the defending champions Binh Duong to return to upper half of the table.

Thanh Hoa and Hoang Anh Gia Lai remain part of the teams grouped together on seven points which also includes The Cong.

Twice champions Dong Tam Long An were held to a 1-1 draw by newcomers The Cong’s inHanoi. The Cong moved up one place while Dong Tam Long An slid down two places to seventh. 

In other matches, Hoa Phat Hanoi were also held 1-1 by host SHB Da Nang at Chi Lang stadium while Khatoco Khanh Hoa beat hosts Phu My Nam Dinh 1-0 at Thien Truong. Hoa Phat Hanoi remain in eighth position with four points and Nam Dinh, also having four points, dropped four places to tenth.

In the early match in round four on January 25, ACB Hanoi and Boss Binh Dinh shared a point in a 1-1 draw. As yet, ACB Hanoi have yet to record a win.