Football

HÀ NỘI — HCM City tied 2-2 with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) in the 11th round of the V.League 1 yesterday.

The game was held at the Pleiku Stadium in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

“I regret that HCM City played well but we didn’t beat HAGL,” said coach of HCM City Toshiya Miura after the match.

The former national coach also highly appreciated HAGL’s young talents including Nguyễn Công Phượng, Nguyễn Văn Toàn, Lương Xuân Trường, who grew up playing in the National Premiere League.

Taking full advantage of playing on their home turf, HAGL were in clear control from the start of the game.

Toàn gave HAGL the lead before the first half closed, scoring off a pass from one of his teammates.

After the break, Phượng doubled the score for the hosts.

However, HAGL’s defence line didn’t play with focus, leaving the team two goals short in only three minutes. In the 67th and 70th minutes, Huỳnh Văn Thanh and Đỗ Văn Thuận scored goals, helping HCM City level the score.

HAGL fought back, determined to score, but they failed to score any goals.

With this draw, HAGL maintained their fourth ranking with 17 points, while HCM City are in the 11th position with 11 points.

At the Hòa Xuân Stadium in Đà Nẵng City, Sông Lam Nghệ An also tied 2-2 with hosts SHB Đà Nẵng.

With just one point in this match, SLNA still rank among the bottom-placed teams with eight points after 11 matches. SHB Đà Nẵng stand at ninth place with 13 points.

After this match, SLNA will move to HCM City to prepare for their match against Sài Gòn FC on June 9.

Elsewhere, top team Hà Nội FC crushed Sanna Khánh Hòa 4-0. Nam Định tied with  Thanh Hóa 1-1. Quảng Ninh Coal also drew with Becamex Bình Dương 1-1, and Hải Phòng beat Sài Gòn 1-0. — VNS