Tran Tien
Football Tribe Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City has returned to the top spot of the league after round 15 when Hanoi FC dropped their first points at home this season. The league leader position has thus changed again in what is shaping up to be a rollercoaster
Before the game against bottom place Sanna Khanh Hoa, the defending champions have won all their matches at home, and everyone expected that the capital club will have another easy win.
But, as always, football manages to go against everyone’s expectations. Against the stubborn defense of Sanna Khanh Hoa, Hanoi’s attackers found it hard to score, and only managed to find the net courtesy of an own-goal from Zarour Chaher.
The attackers’ failure to score put even more pressure on the defense to hold the lead and a mistake at the back led to an equalizer from Sanna Khanh Hoa.
In the 87th minute, striker Pape Omar Faye scored from a header to help the hosts take the lead for a second time, with this strike looking to seal the victory. But, in the final additional minutes, the defenders of Hanoi FC failed to concentrate again and Sanna Khanh Hoa scored in the final goal of the game.
That result means that Hanoi FC failed to retain their top spot as Ho Chi Minh City beat Binh Duong 2-0 in earlier match.
Now, Ho Chi Minh City have 30 points while Hanoi have to accept standing in second place with 29 points.