Quảng Nam vs Hải Phòng in the second match of the V.League 1 yesterday. The match ended 1-1. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyên An

HẢI PHÒNG — The northern port city of Hải Phòng drew 1-1 with former champions Quảng Nam in the V.League 1 yesterday.

The game was played at Lạch Tray Stadium in Hải Phòng City behind closed doors.

Following the 1-0 win against Thanh Hoá in the last game, the hosts aimed to take all three points in this game.

It was Hải Phòng who conceded first.

In the 18th minute, Nguyễn Anh Hùng escaped his marker thanks to Đinh Thanh Trung 's dangerous cross, which led to Hoàng Vissai heading into his own net.

The hosts fought back again but their midfield struggled to take control. Midfielder Martin Lò of Hải Phòng had a poor game by his standards.

After the break, chances of Hải Phòng came and went. The outstanding performance of goalkeeper Nguyễn Văn Toản saved the hosts many times.

In the 67th minute,  Hải Phòng had another opportunity to score. Both goalkeeper and defender of Quảng messed up, but with an empty goal at his mercy, Ngọc Tân missed a golden opportunity.

Hải Phòng’s efforts paid off in the dying minutes. A loose ball in the penalty area of Quảng Nam wasn’t cleared, and Joseph Mpande pounced to level the score.

With this draw, Hải Phòng temporarily top the table with four points, followed by Hà Nội FC and HCM City with three points.

Meanwhile, Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh will hope for their first V.League 1 win against Nam Định today, despite playing away at Thiên Trường Stadium.

The top-flight newcomers played well against Viettel last weekend, but a late mistake by goalkeeper Dương Quang Tuấn meant they lost by a goal to nil at home.

“The more we play, the better results we'll get,” said captain Lê Tấn Tài.

“In the next match we will show a united and creative team, targeting a win and a long journey we will make sure we have a berth in the V.League by the end of this season,” he said.

Hà Tĩnh travelled to Nam Định immediately after their match against Viettel on March 9 as coach Phạm Minh Đức wanted his players to have time to get used to Thiên Trường’s grass pitch

“We have focused on perfecting our tactics and improving our fitness. We have tried to make them (the players) feel comfortable both training and playing so they will play at their peak against Nam Định,” Đức said.

While Nam Định is normally one of the tougher away trips in the league, due to the fear of the coronavirus all matches will be played behind closed doors, which should work in Hà Tĩnh's favour.

The away side's biggest task is to keep Nam Định’s striker Đỗ Merlo quiet after the naturalised Argentinean netted a brace last week.

“To beat Nam Định, you need a solid defence who can lock down Merlo. Meanwhile, the midfielders must maintain possession and assist their defenders to block Nam Định’s attacks from an early stage,” said football coach Võ Hoàng of the provincial sports centre.

Hoàng added that Hà Tĩnh’s foreign forwards need to work harder to relieve the pressure on their teammates in defence.

Elsewhere, HCM City FC will host Thanh Hóa, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will visit Viettel at Hàng Đẫy Stadium, defending champions Hà Nội will face Than Quảng Ninh at Cẩm Phả Stadium, Sông Lam Nghệ An and Becamex Bình Dương will meet in Vinh and SHB Đà Nẵng will entertain Sài Gòn. — VNS