Nam Định FC celebrate winning the 2024-2025 V.League 1 season on Sunday. — Photos tienphong.vn

NAM ĐỊNH — Nam Định FC concluded the 2024-2025 V.League 1 season with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh in their final match on June 22, officially earning the crown as champions of V.League 1.

The only goal was scored by striker Brenner from the penalty spot in the 21st minute, a sweet tribute from Nam Định to the tens of thousands of fans present as they lifted the championship trophy.

Although Nam Định had secured the championship a match early, coach Vũ Hồng Việt and his team fielded nearly their strongest lineup, demonstrating their determination to finish the season strong. Meanwhile, Hà Tĩnh gave many of their younger players a chance to play, viewing it as preparation for next season.

Immediately after the final whistle, Thiên Trường Stadium erupted in fireworks and cheers, celebrating Nam Định's second consecutive championship in the national premier league.

If the 2023-2024 season marked a surprising breakthrough for Nam Định, this year's title symbolises stability and bravery. Under coach Việt's guidance, Nam Định played convincingly throughout the season, leading in numerous key performance indicators, and justly earned the title of champions.

Despite not creating a surprise in the final match, Hà Tĩnh can take pride in achieving their first-ever top-five finish — an impressive accomplishment since joining V.League 1.

Winning the championship is a significant achievement for coach Việt, who navigated through multiple crises caused by player injuries. He was named Coach of the Month four times and surpassed the 100-match milestone with Nam Định. Việt is now the third coach in V.League 1 history to win the championship in two consecutive seasons.

After the coronation ceremony for the 2024-2025 league, coach Việt said: "I am very happy. This is the second time I have won the championship with Nam Định. The first time was difficult, but the second was even more challenging.

"I feel fortunate to have the support of all team members. That trust fuels our motivation to work hard and achieve today's success. The key to our success has been the unity of the entire team. The players have shown remarkable determination, especially during tough times when many key players were injured."

Fans of Nam Định FC.

Looking ahead to next season, when Nam Định FC will compete in four domestic and international events, Việt remarked: "Defending the championship this season is fantastic, but I understand that next season will be even tougher. The team will need to define specific goals for each of the four tournaments.

"After celebrating the championship, the team leaders and I will sit down to discuss our direction moving forward. Like last season, we learned many valuable lessons from international competitions, which significantly helped us improve in the final stages of V.League 1. The players have matured considerably after those experiences."

Meanwhile, Bình Định were relegated to V.League 2 (the First Division tournament) after losing 2-4 to Hà Nội FC on Sunday.

In other news, striker Nguyễn Tiến Linh of Bình Dương won the top scorer award for the first time. With 14 goals, Linh shares the title of top scorer for the 2024-2025 V.League 1 with Alan Sebastião of Hà Nội Police and Lucão do Break of Hải Phòng.

Nguyễn Xuân Son and Nguyễn Văn Quyết are two other Vietnamese players in the top 10, each with seven goals. Above them are João Pedro of Hà Nội with nine goals, Leonardo Artur of Hà Nội Police with 10 goals, Charles Atshimene of Quảng Nam with 11 goals, Lucas Ribamar of Thanh Hóa with 12 goals, and Pedro Henrique of Thể Công with 13 goals.

"The top scorer award is a great source of motivation for me as I look to the future," Linh said. "Bình Dương faced some tough moments, but the team worked hard to finish seventh in the V.League 1 this season." VNS