V.League: HCM City beat Quang Ninh to foster title hopes

ABO/NDO – Ho Chi Minh City kept alive their hopes of claiming their first V.League trophy in nearly 20 years after beating Quang Ninh Coal 3-1 on August 17 to continue chasing leaders Hanoi FC from five points behind.

Quang Ninh Coal forward Mac Hong Quan (C) in action with HCM City players during their V.League match on August 17. (Photo: VPF)

Chung Hae-seong’s side headed into the home clash knowing that a win was a must for them to compete for the title at the end of the season, which only had six matchdays left to go.

The southern team got off to a good start, taking the lead after only four minutes thanks to a successful penalty converter from foreigner Mansaray.

The hosts needed just 12 more minutes to double their advantage, with Vu Quang Nam getting on the scoresheet.

Xuan Hung pulled back a goal for Quang Ninh Coal with a 34th-minute long-range strike, only to see his efforts cancelled out just one minute later as Mansaray completed his double to restore HCM City’s two-goal lead.

The guests came close to reducing the score to 2-3 after being awarded a penalty six minutes from over-time following a handball from HCM City centre-back Ngoc Thinh. However, Dyachenko could not beat goalkeeper Thanh Thang from the spot, leaving the 3-1 result unchanged until the final whistle.

With the victory, HCM City have narrowed their gap with Hanoi FC to five points and continue to foster their hopes of clinching the season’s overall trophy.

In another Saturday fixture, newly promoted Viettel fell to a 0-1 home defeat against Saigon FC, with Nguyen Vu Tin scoring the solitary goal of the match at nine minutes. Meanwhile, two stoppage-time goals by Rodrigo and Huy Hung helped Quang Nam FC beat Nam Dinh FC 3-2 and climb to fifth place in the table with 28 points.

(Source: NDO)