The first half seemed to go to Becamex Binh Duong as they poured continuous waves of attacks down on Hanoi’s defensive line. Anh Duc would have opened the scoring for the guests in the 8th minute but for an excellent block from Hanoi keeper Hong Son.
Binh Duong’s offensive efforts paid off with a 34th minute opener by Senegalese striker Abass Dieng. The ball suddenly changed direction after hitting Gonzalo’s leg, and Hong Son could do nothing but watch it fly into the far corner of the goal.
The second half saw a vigorous comeback from Hanoi T&T. Hector tied the score seconds after the break, before teammate Gonzalo made it 2-1 on the 58th following a very smart pass from Samson.
Samson notched his own goal, the third for Hanoi T&T, six minutes later with a skillful long-rage strike, and Gonzalo fired a powerful free kick to put his team 4-1 in front on the 78th minute.
The remaining 12 minutes of the match witnessed concerted efforts by Binh Duong to level the game, however, they sufficed only to allow Trong Hoang to narrow the gap by 4-2.
The victory earned Hanoi T&T their first three points in this year’s V-League season and lifted them to the top of the provisional standings.
A solitary goal by Nhu Thuat in the 75th minute helped Song Lam Nghe An overcome Quang Ninh Coal 1-0 in another match the same day, while XM The Vissai Ninh Binh were held to a 2-2 draw on their visit to Dong Nai.
Last year’s runners-up, SHB Da Nang, also got off to a good start with a 3-1 win over Dong Tam Long An on January 12, while V-League newbie QNK Quang Nam edged out Hung Vuong An Giang 1-0 on their home field. Vicem Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa played out the only goalless draw in Sunday’s competition.
