Hanoi T&T earns worthy victory

Hai Phong piled on the offensive pressure right from the start with their three attack spearheads, Antonio, Gilberto and Quang Hai, while Hanoi T&T fielded their strongest lineup including the striker duo Samson and Gonzalo.

The match started off at a blistering pace with chances to score for both sides. However, it was not until four minutes before the break that Minh Chau put Hai Phong ahead with a powerful shot from outside the 16.5 metre area.

Gilberto doubled the lead for the hosts just one minute into the second half and raised hopes for a Hai Phong away victory.

After 46 minutes of trailing behind, the Hanoi players finally woke up and made a vigorous comeback, with Samson, Ngoc Duy and Gonzalo scoring three consecutive goals in the 54th, 62nd and 79th minutes, respectively, enabling Hanoi to walk away with a well-deserved 3-2 victory.

With this unlucky loss, XM Vicem Hai Phong missed their chance to snatch the top position from Song Lam Nghe An, who completed the 10th round with a disappointing 1-1 draw with V-League newbies Dong Nai at Vinh Stadium the previous day.

Defending V-League champs SHB Da Nang and Thanh Hoa played out a 2-2 draw in another Sunday match, while XM Xuan Thanh Saigon also tied with Dong Tam Long An by the same score.

Earlier on Saturday, Kienlongbank Kien Giang brushed aside Becamex Binh Duong 4-2 on their home field, while Hoang Anh Gia Lai trounced XM The Vissai Ninh Binh at Pleiku Stadium with a two-goal advantage.