Defending champions Hà Nội FC celebrate beating Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh 1-0 on Tuesday. Photo laodong.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Defending champions Hà Nội FC beat Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh 1-0 on Tuesday to rise to second place in the V.League 1 table.

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm said that the championship race would be exciting to the last match and three points against Hà Tĩnh was a key victory for his team.

“This is a key win for Hà Nội. When Hà Nội had a goal, Hà Tĩnh fought back strongly, making it difficult for us to play. We then missed a chance to raise the score to 2-0,” said Nghiêm.

“At this time, Hà Nội don’t have the best players because our players haven’t recovered from injuries, so it was difficult to win.

"This season will go to the final match to know which team will be crowned, only one win will change the situation," Nghiêm added.

At Hàng Đẫy Stadium, Hà Nội needed a win to keep the pressure on Viettel, while Hà Tĩnh are in eighth place and have little left to play for.

In the first half, the hosts Hà Nội controlled the game but it took till five minutes before the break for them to make the breakthrough.

In the 40th minute, Hà Nội's Đỗ Hùng Dũng robbed midfielder Janclesio Almeida Santos' of the ball and squared for Rimario Gordon in front of goal. The Jamaican forward was dispossessed, but captain Nguyễn Văn Quyết was on hand to sweep the ball into the net.

In the second half, Hà Nội dominated the game but were unable to make the game safe.

After 16 matches, Hà Nội have 29 points, overcoming Sài Gòn FC to rank second in the standings and only behind leaders Viettel by two points.

In other matches on Tuesday, Quảng Nam beat Nam Định 2-0 but they are still at the bottom of the table.

Elsewhere, Hải Phòng defeated Thanh Hóa 2-0, SHB Đà Nẵng bested Sông Lam Nghệ An 2-0 and Quảng Ninh Coal defeated Hoàng Anh Gia Lai 3-1. — VNS