Hanoi FC gave everyone the feeling that they are too strong for the rest of the V.League after thrashing Quang Ninh Coal by five unanswered goals to reign on top of the table following the conclusion of match day 1. Plus the team’s terrific 10-0 triumph against Cambodian side, Nagaworld FC, in the AFC Cup previously, it had been thought that the 2018 champions would have easily bagged the full three points at Quang Nam FC to consolidate their dominance at the top.

However, manager Hoang Van Phuc’s side proved things were not so dreamlike for the visitors. Contrary to any predictions, it was Quang Nam FC who opened the scoring at the start of the second half. Meanwhile, the Hanoi players created many opportunities but lacked accuracy in the decisive shots. They had to wait until the 84th minute to breathe a sigh of relief, as Hoang Vu Samson managed to level the game and rescue the guests from a disappointing away loss. Despite avoiding a defeat, Hanoi FC have lost their top spot to HCM City FC.

This is the first time manager Chu Dinh Nghiem’s troops have been dethroned from their familiar leading position after nearly one year of reigning at top with a wide gap against the chasing teams.

HCM City FC took advantage of Hanoi FC’s “rare pause” to swap places with the reigning champions at the top of the table. Manager Chung Hae Seong, former technical director of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, utilised his good understanding of the Gia Lai team’s playstyle to lead HCM City to a 2-1 victory, making them the only team to maintain a winning run after the first two rounds of the 2019 V.League. Inspired by their perfect start, HCM City FC are emerging as a “dark horse” in this season’s title race.

Match day 2 saw Quang Nam FC and Quang Ninh Coal officially earn their first point in the 2019 season following their respective draws with Hanoi FC and Song Lam Nghe An. Despite that fact, a big question mark is being placed on Quang Ninh Coal’s attacking efficiency, as manager Phan Thanh Hung’s side have now conceded five times but are the only side yet to score a goal.

Sanna Khanh Hoa, the phenomenon of last season with a third-place finish, continued to disappoint with a second defeat in a row, which kept manager Vo Dinh Tan’s side stuck at the bottom of the standings with zero points.

Viettel’s 2-1 win over reigning runners-up Thanh Hoa FC was one of the biggest surprises of match day 2. Despite the absence of centre back Que Ngoc Hai (suspension), the brilliance of Bui Tien Dung and goalie The Tai helped the V.League newbies secure their first three points of the 2019 V.League, which will surely give them a lot of confidence in the following stages of the season.

Nhan Dan