Former V-League champs return to top flight action

Dong Tam Long An officially returned to Viet Nam's top-flight football championship, V-League, after playing in the country's second-tier football competition for only one year.

Former two-time V-League champion defeated Quang Nam 2-0 in the 24th-round match last weekend to have 45 points to top the First Division table, seven points above the third team.

Long An, which won V-league titles in 2005 and 2006, were demoted to the First Division last year after finishing V-League 2011 in 13th place in a 14-team competition.

The team began its campaign to return to the V-League in a rocky way, winning only four out of 13 games in the first half of the season and languishing in the bottom half of the table.

But Long An has come back strongly in the second half of the season, enjoying a winning streak of nine matches to go on top.

The second ticket went to Ha Noi, which have 45 points but rank second because of an inferior record against Long An.

Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City, which occupy the last two places on the table, will face demotion to the Second Division. — VNS