Searching for the "uncrowned king" of V.League 2019
(Baonghean.vn) - It seemed like HAGL had "wasted their youth fighting to avoid relegation," but in the end, they possessed two "uncrowned kings" in the 2019 V.League. Finishing in 8th place, HAGL also had the "king of assists" Van Toan and the "king of domestic goalscorers" Minh Vuong.
In fact, before round 25, HAGL was still in the same situation as in previous seasons, "wasting their youth fighting to avoid relegation," as one player from Pleiku lamented on Facebook. At one point, they had gone seven consecutive matches without a win (four losses, three draws) and were teetering on the brink of relegation.
Although Ho Chi Minh City FC rested several key players to conserve energy for the National Cup semi-final, they still needed two penalties, "gifted" by center-back Huu Tuan, to escape the penalty shootout. Surprisingly, neither the coaching staff nor the players of the home team reacted to the referee's whistle in these 50/50 situations.
King of Construction
Having secured three consecutive wins and ensuring their survival in the league, Van Toan, Minh Vuong, and their teammates "sunk" S. Khanh Hoa in the Central Highlands, concluding an impressive season with HAGL FC. With one goal and one assist helping the team from the mountain town win against Khanh Hoa FC 4-1, the player from Hai Duong province has now scored 9 goals and provided 11 assists.
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| Van Toan. Photo courtesy of Xuan Thuy. |
Van Toan's goals are all significant and, in particular, showcase great technique, speed, and the composure of a great player. This season, Van Toan has excelled in all three roles: scoring, assisting, and disrupting the opponent's defense, all at a much higher level, especially in utilizing his speed effectively in counter-attacking situations.
In the 2019 V.League season, Van Toan was second only to striker Pape Omar of the reigning champions Hanoi FC, who scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists. However, he was far ahead of other Vietnamese players like Quang Hai (17 goals) and Van Quyet (16 assists) - both from Hanoi FC.
It's an undeniable fact that players like Pape Omar, Quang Hai, and Van Quyet play in a team with so many excellent players supporting them, a far cry from Van Toan, who sometimes has to drop deep into his own half to retrieve the ball. To put it mildly, no one has stood out more than Van Toan in the 2019 V.League season.
Top domestic goalscorer
Minh Vương shone brightly in Round 26 of the 2019 V-League at Pleiku Stadium. He scored a brace against Khánh Hòa, and also provided an assist for teammate Văn Toàn to score in a 4-1 victory, helping the team from Pleiku finish the season in 8th place in the standings.
This midfielder scored 12 goals in the 2019 V-League. He became the top-scoring domestic player in the league. Last season, Tien Linh (Binh Duong) was the top domestic scorer.
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| Minh Vương scored 12 goals for HAGL this season. Photo courtesy of Quang Thịnh. |
Overall, Minh Vương and Pedro (Saigon FC) only ranked 4th in the V.League 2019 top scorer list with 12 goals each. The "Top Scorer" title went to Pape Omar of Hanoi FC and Bruno Cunha Catanhede of Viettel (both with 15 goals). The third-highest scorer was Hoàng Vũ Samson (Quang Nam FC) with 13 goals.
Ironically, despite possessing two "kings," the two best domestic strikers in V.League 2019, HAGL scored a remarkable 45 goals this season, second only to champions Hanoi FC (60 goals), yet the team from Pleiku only finished in 8th place.
Simply put, Chairman Duc's football philosophy is "attack is the best form of defense." HAGL prioritizes offense over defense, which is why players like Tuan Anh, Van Toan, and Minh Vuong have always "wasted their youth fighting to avoid relegation." This is completely different from SLNA!
