Round 20 V-League: The Champion is About to Emerge

CAHN continues its upward momentum while Viettel slips, making the V-League championship race gradually decisive.

The race at the top of V.League 2025/26 has become very tense after round 20, as Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) seized the opportunity to surge ahead, while Viettel made things difficult for themselves. Both faced opponents considered weaker and lower on the standings, but the two championship contenders ended up with completely opposite results.

At home, CAHN played with high spirits when welcoming SLNA. Coach Polking's team quickly imposed their game and scored three goals in the first half, creating a big advantage. Although SLNA narrowed the gap at times and sparked hopes of gaining points, the strength of the home team was too distinct. In the end, CAHN won 4-2, reclaiming the debt after the 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Meanwhile, Viettel caused great disappointment on SHB Da Nang's field. Despite being rated superior and leading 3-2 until the 90th minute, Coach Popov's squad still lost a regrettable victory. In the second minute of stoppage time, the visiting team committed a foul in the penalty area, and Lopez Pissano did not miss the chance to score from the penalty spot, sealing a 3-3 draw for SHB Da Nang.

This result clearly left Viettel breathless in the championship race, as CAHN widened the gap to 9 points, from 42 to 51 points. Looking back on the journey so far, the military-backed team has repeatedly lost regrettable points against weaker opponents, such as losing 1-4 to SLNA, drawing 1-1 with SLNA, drawing 2-2 with PVF-CAND, or losing 1-2 to HAGL. The draw against SHB Da Nang continues to be a heavy blow to their ambition of crowning.

In the middle of the standings, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club (CAHN TP.HCM) had a very important 1-0 victory over Hong Linh Ha Tinh. These three points helped Coach Le Huynh Duc's team return to the 5th position with 29 points, exactly 1 point ahead of Hai Phong and Nam Dinh Steel. This is also a major morale boost after a series of three consecutive losses, conceding 10 goals and failing to score any.

In the relegation battle, the 3-3 draw against Viettel helped SHB Da Nang temporarily escape the bottom position to climb to 13th place, the playoff position. PVF-CAND fell to the bottom when they gained no additional points this round. Both have 13 points, but the Han River team ranks higher due to auxiliary indicators. Meanwhile, HAGL with 19 points is still not safe, while Dong A Thanh Hoa and Becamex TP.HCM both reached 20 points, promising to make the relegation race hotter in the upcoming rounds.

Dinh Bac scores a hat-trick, CAHN moves closer to the championship

Viettel draws breathlessly with Da Nang, making the championship race more difficult