Round 2 of V.League 2021: The order is turned upside down.

The title contenders continue to drop points.

Returning to play at their home ground, Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi FC continued to disappoint, losing 1-2 to visiting team Binh Duong. This leaves them rooted at the bottom of the league table, still without a win after the first two rounds. This is the worst start in the club's history since being promoted to the professional league.

Hanoi FC's star-studded squad continues to lose. Photo: VPF

Even Viettel FC had a very difficult start. The reigning V.League 2021 champions only managed to get 1 point away at Thanh Hoa with a lackluster goalless draw. The poor performance of Hanoi and Viettel foreshadows a very unpredictable season.

Hai Phong Club has become a phenomenon.

The second round continued to witness a dream start for Hai Phong FC. Despite lacking star players, with high-quality foreign players and a well-structured playing style, Hai Phong continued their winning streak by defeating Nam Dinh FC 3-2 at home.

Hai Phong Club rises to the top position. Photo: VPF

With 6 points after 2 matches, Hai Phong has overtaken Nam Dinh to lead the V.League 2021 standings. Besides Hai Phong, B. Binh Duong and SHB Da Nang are the only teams with 2 wins out of 2 matches. Of these, SHB Da Nang is the only team that has yet to concede a single goal.

SLNA and HL Ha Tinh suffered bitter defeats.

The second round saw a lack of luck for two teams, SLNA and HL Ha Tinh.SLNAHaving taken the lead against HAGL, they were forced to play with ten men after Thai Ba Sang received his second yellow card, ultimately losing 1-2. Meanwhile, HL Ha Tinh also suffered a setback against Ho Chi Minh City FC after center-back Kelly Oahimijie was sent off early in the match.

HL Ha Tinh FC suffered a painful defeat at Thong Nhat Stadium due to player shortages. Photo: VPF

Teams like HAGL and Ho Chi Minh City FC secured their first victories in the V.League 2021. The decisions of referees Ngo Duy Lan and Nguyen Ngoc Chau in the two aforementioned matches were considered valid but still left much room for debate.

Domestic strikers shine.

Wearing the jerseys of HAGL, SHB Da Nang, and B. Binh Duong, players Van Toan, Duc Chinh, and Tien Linh are currently in excellent form. Van Toan scored the winning goal in HAGL's 2-1 victory, Duc Chinh had a great game, directly assisting a teammate's goal, and Tien Linh contributed to B. Binh Duong's valuable three points away from home.

Strikers Tien Linh and Van Toan scored their first goals in the V.League 2021. Photo: VPF

The biggest surprise was the incredibly impressive performance ofNguyen Phu NguyenWearing the Hai Phong FC jersey, the former SLNA player scored consecutively in the last two rounds. As a result, he leads the scoring charts alongside foreign players like Rodrigo and Eydison.

The pitch in Thanh Hoa has been criticized for being in poor condition.

In Round 1, the Vinh Stadium was criticized by Binh Dinh FC's coach Duc Thang for its poor condition. This time, the Thanh Hoa Stadium is facing condemnation for its extremely poor pitch quality. The match between Thanh Hoa and Viettel also featured very low professional standards. The terrible pitch was one of the factors that caused Viettel's Duc Chien to suffer an injury and leave the field early. Conversely, the Thong Nhat and Hang Day Stadium pitches appeared smooth and flawless on television broadcasts.

V.League 2021 standings after 2 rounds. Photo: VPF

Playing with ten men, SLNA suffered a comeback defeat against HAGL in Pleiku.

(Baonghean.vn) - Playing with a man advantage for most of the match against SLNA, HAGL secured their first victory in V.League 2021 by coming from behind to defeat the Nghe An team at their home stadium in Pleiku in round 2.