PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Hà Nội FC players train in preparation for the remaining matches of the first leg of V.League 1. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội FC

Football

HÀ NỘI — After a short break in FIFA Days, most of the V.League 1 clubs have returned to practise and are ready for the matches on Saturday.

Teams such as Hà Nội Police, Hà Nội FC, Nam Định, Thanh Hoá, and Viettel who have contributed significantly to the national team will compete in friendly matches after their games against Hong Kong and Syria. They're taking advantage of this time to strengthen tactics and spirit, as well as other related issues to prepare for the remaining matches of the first leg of the national V.League 1.

Among them, Thanh Hóa, Hà Nội Police, and Hà Nội FC are strong candidates for the championship.

Hà Nội striker Nguyễn Văn Quyết was suspended for eight matches for attacking the referee, while midfielder Đỗ Hùng Dũng recently had his appendix removed, causing the team to fall into trouble. Quyết and Dũng are key players in the offensive system of the defending champions. These two absences contributed to Hà Nội having three consecutive matches without a win against weaker opponents such as SHB Đà Nẵng, Bình Dương and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai.

However, the break is considered a valuable time for recovery for the players of the defending champion team. Captain Quyết still has to serve a suspended sentence at least until the end of the first leg before he can apply for a reduced sentence. Dũng will be able to return in full for the next match. His presence will definitely help the capital team improve their attacking power.

Teams at the bottom of the league rankings also returned to practise very early. Some teams only took a few days' rest and got straight back to practice, like HCM City Club who are facing many difficulties this season.

The team wants to create more opportunities for newcomer Brendon Lucas from Brazil to get acquainted with the other players. SHB Đà Nẵng and Bình Dương are also in a race against time to recover their sinking spots in the rankings. Only practice will help them find a ray of light.

Regarding VAR in Việt Nam, Trần Anh Tú, vice chairman of the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) said that FIFA has closed its inspection of 18 Vietnamese referees related to training and application of VAR in competitions.

“In about two or three weeks, FIFA will announce the official results and determine which referees and assistant referees pass or fail. Việt Nam will get VAR in the V.League 1 towards the end of this year, according to the initial calculations of VFF. But with good integration and refined skills of referees, we may see it coming into operation a couple of months earlier,” said Tú. VNS