HÀ NỘI — Quảng Nam won the V.League 1 title for the first time, beating HCM City 3-1 in the thorny final round on Saturday to triumph at the tournament.

Before making it to the final round, three teams, Quảng Nam, Hà Nội FC and Thanh Hóa FLC, had the chance to take home the title as they each had 45 points after 25 fixtures.

At Tam Kỳ Stadium, in the sixth minute of the game, midfielder and captain, Đinh Thanh Trung, opened the score for the hosts Quảng Nam with a penalty shot.

However, in the 30th minute, Quảng Nam faced a disadvantage when Trần Mạnh Toàn got a red card and was forced to leave the ground; but the players of coach Hoàng Văn Phúc still fought unyieldingly.

In the 45th minute, Hà Minh Tuấn doubled the score for the hosts before the first half closed.

Trung scored one more goal for Quảng Nam in the 70th minute, while Võ Duy Nam scored the only goal for HCM City in the injury time.

At the same time at Cẩm Phả Stadium, Hà Nội FC, who had the simplest route to glory as they topped the rankings due to their head-to-head record, suffered a 4-4 draw with Quảng Ninh Coal, thus losing the title to Quảng Nam.

Meanwhile, at Vinh Stadium, FLC Thanh Hóa beat Sông Lam Nghệ An 1-0 to become the runners-up of the national premier league.

Thanh Hóa earned three points in the last game but the title still belonged to Quảng Nam because of a difference in the head-to-head record.

According to coach Phúc, the reason for Quảng Nam’s victory is their solidarity.

“I am rather surprised with our title but it is a deserving fruit of the whole team’s labour. Our initial goal was to be in the top three but during the competition, my players showed their skills and quality. Sometimes, the club met with difficult situations but the players held their hands tightly to create achievements,” said Phúc.

“I want to dedicate this trophy to all the fans of Quảng Nam, the club’s leaders and especially to my mother,” Phúc added.

Quảng Nam’s line-up did not have too many stars. They maintained their good form during the event without depending too much on several individuals.

In this year’s tourney, Bình Dương ranked 11th but striker and captain of the team, Nguyễn Anh Đức, won the best scorer award with 17 goals. He has become the best domestic player who has scored the most goals in the league’s history.

With this award, Đức also overthrew the 15-year domination of a foreign striker. — VNS