HÀ NỘI — National U23 team member Huỳnh Tấn Tài scored a billion-đồng goal to help Long An stay in the V. League next season.

Long An, which was ranked at the bottom of the national premier league yesterday beat Viettel, the First Division runner-up 1-0 in a play-off match at the Chi Lăng Stadium in Đà Nẵng City.

Both teams were careful during most of the game, which did not see many sharp attacks.

Long An, who was supported by former National Team Manager Henrique Calisto was invited to consult with the team, and they played better in the first half.

The experienced side created some opportunities, but their strikers failed to make the most of them.

The second half, however, witnessed Viettel’s youngsters’ domination. The team, in which most of the members are in their 20s set the pace for the game and tested goalkeeper Nguyễn Tiến Anh’s skills at least thrice.

However, none of the team members were successful and the match entered extra time.

Tài, who had to delay his wedding suddenly because of the match, showed up just four minutes after the restart.

Receiving a ball near the box, Tài passed it through a defender before sending the ball to the far high corner of goalie Ngô Xuân Sơn.

Viettel Coach Nguyễn Hải Biên pushed his players further and opened consecutive attacks. However, their attempts were not converted into goals.

The win brought Long An a bonus of VNĐ1 billion (US$44,500), while Viettel must wait at least another year to know if they could taste the atmosphere of the V. League. — VNS