Hanoi T&T, SHB Da Nang close behind SLNA

A day after Song Lam Nghe An defeated Hoang Anh Gia Lai to widen the gap to 4 points, Hanoi T&T and SHB Da Nang restored their close pursuit when they both won important victories, respectively against Becamex Binh Duong and The Vissai Ninh Binh.

Meanwhile, a big surprise happened when Vicem Hai Phong had a resounding 4-0 victory over Dong Nai while Thanh Hoa lost 1-2 to Xuan Thanh Saigon right at home.

Merlo sealed SHB Da Nang's 2-0 victory over The Vissai Ninh Binh
(Photo: Van Son/VNA)

In the match at Hang Day Stadium, heavy rain in Hanoi signaled a rain of goals for the home team, especially when Van Hieu opened the score just a few minutes after the opening whistle.

By the 25th minute, the score was 2-0 after Samson's shot from Ngoc Duy's pass.

At the end of the first half, Tang Tuan shortened the score for Binh Duong, but that was all the away team could do.

In the 61st minute, Thanh Luong crossed the ball conveniently for Samson to head in his second goal of the match, before Thach Bao Khanh sealed a 4-1 victory for the home team at the end of the match.

At Chi Lang Stadium, it was not until the 56th minute that Hoang Quang opened the score for SHB Da Nang. With only 8 minutes left in the match, Gaston Merlo made a solo goal to raise the score to 2-0.

With these results, after 17 rounds, the two teams of Mr. Hien continue to closely follow SLNA with a gap of only 1 point (SLNA 32 points, Hanoi T&T 31, SHB Da Nang 30) while HAGL has dropped to fourth place.

Meanwhile, just a few days after the surprising victory over SHB Da Nang in the make-up match, Dong Nai, coached by Hai Phong native Tran Binh Su, suffered a crushing defeat against his hometown team. Among Hai Phong’s four goals, there was a double from Quang Hai, helping the port city team end a streak of 7 matches without a taste of victory.

In the remaining match, Thanh Hoa also surprisingly lost 1-2 to Xuan Thanh Sai Gon at home, in which the away team's goal to increase the score to 2-0 caused much controversy because in the previous save situation of Moses, the ball had gone out of bounds.

Thanh Hoa spectators threw many shoes and bottles onto the field in protest against the referee's decision to recognize the goal, causing the match to be interrupted for several minutes.

Round 17 V-League 2013:

July 27

DT.Long An - K.Kien Giang 3-2
Song Lam Nghe An - Hoang Anh Gia Lai 1-0

July 28

SHB Da Nang - V.Ninh Binh 2-0
Hanoi T&T - B.Binh Duong 4-1
XM V.Hai Phong - Dong Nai 4-0
Thanh Hoa - XMXT Saigon 1-2

According to (Vietnam+) - DT