Hanoi, Dong Tam Tiles top First Division after three games
HCMC – SHB Danang took the top place of the Super League – Eximbank 2012 after crushing Hoang Anh Gia Lai 4-1 at Chi Lang Stadium on Saturday while Hanoi Club ended their disappointing run with a home win over Khatoco Khanh Hoa in the third round.
The clash between defending champions Song Lam Nghe An and last year’s runners-up Hanoi T&T was the most interesting in the round as the two teams are strong favorites to win the league title. Song Lam needed a win at home to join top three in the tournament while Hanoi T&T also needed a third victory to maintain at the top spot.
Song Lam started the match with three foreigners Hector H.Kerin, Bebbe Gustave Anicet and Abass Cheikh Dieng together midfielders Nguyen Trong Hoang and Nguyen Quang Tinh while Hanoi T&T was confident as it played away with their strongest players in their line up.
The two sides began the game quickly, they having good chance in the first minutes and Hector scored for Song Lam with a kick in the penalty box after receiving the ball from his teammate Au Van Hoan in the 24th minute. Samson Kayode Olaleye’s kick into his net in the 32nd minute was disallowed as the Nigerian striker was offside. However, Samson leveled for Hanoi T&T in just three minutes later with an unstoppable kick in the penalty area.
Neither hosts nor visitors looked like scoring throughout the second half, the highlight of which came when Hanoi T&T’s Vo Duy Nam was sent off with the second yellow card in the 81st minute. Nam’s absence put the visiting team into a crisis and Song Lam took an advance in the injury time thanks to Bebbe. Then national striker Nguyen Van Quyet equalized for Hanoi T&T just two minutes later.
Meanwhile, Hoang Anh, under Korean coach Choi Yoom Gyum’s reign, began the game with Evaldo, Doan Van Sakda in their line-up. The home side dominated ball possession from the beginning while all the visiting team’s attacks were stopped by Danang’s defending line in middle of the ground.
However, SHB Danang missed all scoring chances in the first minutes until Doan Hung Son opened the score in the 42nd minute and Nguyen Ngoc Thanh doubled for his team just four minutes later.
Gaston Merlo netted for the home side in the 54th minute and Tran Duc Duong narrowed the scoring gap for Hoang Anh in the 59th minute. Alexander Pren finalized the game at 4-1 in the 73rd minute to give SHB Danang its second victory since the beginning of the Super League.
Leaders SHB Danang now have seven points from two wins and one draw, the same points as second-placed Hanoi T&T, who also gained two victories and one draw.
Hanoi Club thrashed Khanh Hoa 4-1 at Hang Day Stadium with four goals from Anjembe Timothy in the 41st and 80th minutes and Dinh Thanh Trung in the 45th and 82nd minutes. Agostinho hit a consolation for Khanh Hoa in the 62nd minute.
The victory lifted Hanoi Club six places to eighth in the round with three points. Khatoco Khanh dropped to ninth with the same points.
Saigon FC moved to third position with five points after trouncing Kienlongbank KG 2-0 in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang while Ninh Binh ranked seventh with four points.
Song Lam, Saigon FC and Thanh Hoa, who beat Becamex Binh Duong 2-1 in Thanh Hoa Province, now have five points each but Thanh Hoa ranked fifth due to the goal difference.
In the bottom raking table, Haiphong were held 1-1 by Dong Thap in their home ground, leaving Haiphong to the bottom of the ranking table with two points after three games. Navibank Saigon suffered a 2-1 loss to XM The Vissai Ninh Binh at Thong Nhat Stadium
* Hanoi and Dong Tam Long An Tiles took the lead of Vietnam’s First Division from Quang Ninh Coal in the third round on Saturday, while the bottom-placed Tay Ninh had no point after three games.
Hanoi beat Quang Nam 1-0 in the central city of Tam Ky while Dong Tam Tiles defeated Tay Ninh 1-0 in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. Hanoi and Dong Tam Tiles have earned seven points each after three games, but Hanoi rank first thanks to goal difference.
Junior Hanoi beat Dong Nai 1-0 at Hang Day Stadium on Sunday while Junior SHB Danang tied 2-2 with HCMC at Chi Lang Stadium.
In other games Saturday, Lam Dong suffered a 1-0 loss over Binh Dinh at Lam Dong Province, Can Tho defeated Quang Ninh Coal 2-1 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and the game between TDC Binh Duong and Hung Vuong An Giang ended goalless in Binh Duong Province.
