Coach Vũ Hồng Việt of Nam Định admitted that his team's defence is facing many problems. — Photo bongdadoisong.vn

Football

NAM ĐỊNH — After their loss to Hải Phòng on Wednesday, coach Vũ Hồng Việt of Nam Định admitted that his team's defence is not strong.

Despite it being a home game, Nam Định suffered a disappointing 2-4 defeat against Hải Phòng, who were not favourites going into the match.

Speaking after the game, Việt acknowledged: "We conceded early goals from Hải Phòng's counter attacks. They exploited that well, while Nam Định struggled to possess the ball."

But he praised his team's competitive spirit, saying: "A losing result is very sad, but I commend the players' determination to equalise, even though they didn't succeed.

"The number of goals we've conceded reflects our problems. I'll have to re-evaluate our strategies and prepare carefully to minimise defensive lapses and goals conceded."

He said that in terms of the championship race: "At this moment, nothing is certain. We're only six points ahead of the next team and the title is still up for grabs."

In the match against Hải Phòng, striker Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes scored two goals, becoming the first player in eight years to surpass the 20-goal mark in a V.League 1 season.

The milestone was last achieved by Đỗ Merlo for Đà Nẵng in 2016.

With six matches remaining, Fernandes has a chance to break the record for most goals in a Vietnamese football season, currently held by Lê Huỳnh Đức with 25 goals for HCM City Police Club in 1996.

After 20 matches, Nam Định lead the rankings with 39 points, six ahead of Bình Dương and eight clear of Bình Định and Hà Nội Police. Meanwhile, Hải Phòng's impressive victory has propelled them to sixth place with 29 points, extending their unbeaten run to ten games, including four wins.

In their upcoming fixtures, Nam Định will face Đông Á Thanh Hóa away, followed by a home game against Sông Lam Nghệ An. VNS