Playing a Hai Phong side sitting in the bottom half of the table, Kiatisuk’s troops did not need much time to demonstrate the power of the title frontrunners, with Van Toan putting them in front after just 15 minutes.
Brandao stole the ball from Adriano Schmidt before driving a low pass into the box for Van Toan, who then dribbled past a Hai Phong defender and beat goalkeeper Phan Dinh Vu Hai to increase his season tally to four.
Their inefficiency in the back line should have seen the hosts fall further behind nine minutes later as Memovic matched Kim Dong-su’s cross with a header wide in front of the empty goal.
 |
HAGL striker Nguyen Van Toan in action during the match. (Photo: VPF)
In the following minutes, HAGL slowed down their pace to tighten up their defence and wait for counterattacking opportunities.
After missing a clear-cut chance late in the first half, Brandao was finally on target in the 74th minute, firing a powerful header that hit the ground before going into the net making it 2-0 to the away team.
HAGL could have added one more goal with time running out, but striker Nguyen Cong Phuong blasted a strike off the post.
 |
HAGL striker Nguyen Cong Phuong in action during the match. (Photo: VPF)
With the 2-0 victory, Kiatisuk’s side have been invincible for six consecutive matches, including five wins and one draw. After the first seven rounds, they are now firmly at the top of the standings on 16 points, one clear of SHB Da Nang who finished off former champions Hanoi FC with two unanswered goals at home on the same day. It was also the first triumph for Le Huynh Duc’s side against the capital’s team in seven years.
Newbies Topenland Binh Dinh comprehensively beat powerhouses Ho Chi Minh City away by a score of 3-1 to move within five points of the leaders.
Today, V.League 1 will continue with three Matchweek 7 clashes, including Quang Ninh Coal vs Becamex Binh Duong, Hong Linh Ha Tinh vs bottom-placed Thanh Hoa FC, and title holders Viettel FC vs Saigon FC.
