Hanoi FC wins V.League 2019: A lackluster victory.

Last year, hosting SLNA in Round 21 of the V.League 2018 at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi FC won 2-0, thus becoming the new champions with a record of winning the title five rounds before the end of the season. Compared to last year, the match in Vinh was much less exciting, as coach Chu Dinh Nghiem was having to conserve his energy for the two legs of the AFC Cup inter-regional final on September 25th and October 2nd against April 25 (North Korea).

Practical customers

Meanwhile, with a 7-point lead, the visiting team didn't need to exert themselves at Vinh Stadium to still win the V.League title. Therefore, the Hanoi coaching staff chose a rather pragmatic approach to the match, keeping the pace of the game as slow as possible.

To be honest, Hanoi FC is too strong this season. After their 0-2 defeat at Thien Truong Stadium on May 24th, they went on a streak of 12 matches with only draws and wins, including 5 consecutive wins. Even Viettel, who were leading 2-0 at Hang Day Stadium, still lost 5-2.

Thanh Chung, Hanoi's star player, was named Man of the Match for his goal against SLNA. (Photo: VPF)

Frankly, the visiting team is now a notch above the V.League teams, so coach Chu Đình Nghiêm has quite a few options for the championship match. Unlike the first leg at Hàng Đẫy Stadium, where they played a wave-like style, attacking relentlessly across the entire field to secure a 4-0 victory, yesterday Hanoi lulled both the home fans and players into a false sense of security.

In a match where not only the four-man midfield of Moses Oloya, Thai Quy, Papa Ibou Kebe, and Quang Hai, but also the two strikers Van Quyet and Omar, instead of attacking Nguyen Manh's goal, focused on keeping possession and using a lot of sideways passes.

The owner is not strong enough.

Knowing their strengths and weaknesses, the home team's players played a low defensive line, with Khac Ngoc and Ngoc Toan trying to be in the right place at the right time to prevent the opponent from scoring. At the very least, facing the strongest attack in V.League 2019, Memovic and Van Khanh, showed that SLNA's defense deserved praise.

Perhaps, if it weren't for a few underhanded tactics that forced both left-backs of Hanoi and SLNA to leave the field early, the audience wouldn't have known that this was a match where the away team would win the championship and the home team would have a chance to finish in the top 3.

The goal came to the Hanoi players as if by "fate," compelling them to secure three points to win the V.League championship. A very simple cross from Van Kien from the right wing, 10 minutes into the second half, center-back Thanh Chung, known for his lucky streak, seemed to appear out of nowhere, heading the ball into the ground to score the only goal of the match.

Hanoi players joyfully celebrate their 5th championship title. Photo: VPF

Quite coincidentally, on the Vinh stadium, Hanoi was also the team that couldn't prevent SLNA from winning the V.League 2011 season, in that match they also missed a free kick at the end of the game. Now, Khac Ngoc also couldn't delay the capital team's coronation in a match that was considered quite lackluster, if not the most lackluster in the last decade.

After the defeat, the home team's chances of winning a medal have significantly decreased. Despite a resounding victory away at B.Binh Duong, viewers still haven't seen consistency in their attack, evidenced by the fact that they've only managed two consecutive wins so far.

Joel, despite scoring a hat-trick against B.Binh Duong, is still a player for smaller matches. Meanwhile, keeping Memovic and a few other key players is considered a more important issue than winning the title this season.