HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội maintained their hopes of defending their V.League title after beating Quảng Nam 1-0 at their home in Hàng Đẫy Stadium yesterday.

The match was considered an “early final” of the tournament because if Quảng Nam won they would take the trophy, with one round to spare. On the other hand, if Hà Nội won, they would replace Quảng Nam as the leading team in the ranking table.

National midfielder, Nguyễn Văn Quyết, pushed Hà Nội back to the top position after 12 rounds, with his close-range finish at the 73th minute.

Hà Nội have 45 points, the same as Quảng Nam but they take the lead due to their head-to-head results.

Quyết’s 70th goal for the club therefore means Quảng Nam might just enjoy their first national premier league title this weekend.

In another match, FLC Thanh Hoá joined the race to take the title after their 2-0 win over Sanna Khánh Hoà.

Thanh Hoá also have 45 points and are placed third.

In the last round matches, Hả Nội will travel to Hạ Long to play Quảng Ninh Coal who are currently at third place with 42 points.

Quảng Nam are said to have an easy rival in HCM City in the last round. They also have the advantage of playing at home.

Thanh Hoá will face former champions, Sông Lam Nghệ An, who have not lost in their three latest matches.

In another game yesterday, Quảng Ninh beat HCM City 4-2 in a match that saw former national head coach Toshiya Miura sitting on the stands.

The Japanese returned to Việt Nam after two years, upon an invitation by HCM City FC boss, Lê Công Vinh. There was no confirmation yet but Miura is said to be on his way to becoming head coach of the team that is under coach assistant Lư Đình Tuấn, after French coach, Alain Fiard, was fired last week.

The deal will be completed early next month and Miura is expected to compete in the V.League for two years.

Sông Lam Nghệ An struggled to have a 2-1 win over Cần Thơ yesterday.

Despite playing without their best players, Sông Lam Nghệ An put up a great performance with three chances to open the score in the first 15 minutes.

But it was the hosts who opened the score from a penalty at the 41st minute by Nsi.

The winner pushed Cần Thơ up. They played tit for tat with the visitors in the second half.

The situation made coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng of Sông Lam Nghệ An change his tactic. Several changes were made and players were asked to open more attacks.

Midfielder, Ngọc Hải, levelled the result at the 71st minute, with a straight shot and Trần Phi Sơn netted the second shot for the visiting side four minutes before the end.

At Lạch Tray Stadium, hosts Hải Phòng, whose coach Trương Việt Hoàng is to resign, lost 1-2 to Hoàng Anh Gia Lai.

SHB Đà Nẵng shared the same fate, losing 2-3 to Sài Gòn FC. Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức of Đà Nẵng also leaves after the end of the season. And Former champions Becamex Bình Dương found a 4-0 win over relegated Long An. — VNS