VPF confirms Tiến Linh did not score an own goal

Tiến Linh was not recorded as having an own goal in the game between CA TP HCM and Becamex TP HCM.

In the 4th round of the V-League, Tiến Linh had the chance to face his former team Becamex TP HCM (formerly Becamex Bình Dương) when CA TP HCM traveled to Gò Đậu Stadium. CA TP HCM won the match 3-1, and Tiến Linh made a significant impact.

Just 7 minutes into the match, Tiến Linh scored the opening goal for CA TP HCM. From a precise cross by Raphael Utzig, the striker rose high and headed the ball sharply to put CA TP HCM ahead. Notably, Tiến Linh did not celebrate after scoring against his former club.

An unexpected event occurred in the 47th minute when Văn Anh’s header inside the penalty box deflected off a CA TP HCM player’s leg and went into the net, leveling the score at 1-1. Initially, the last player to touch the ball was considered to be Tiến Linh, marking him as the own goal scorer.

However, according to the official match report released by the VPF website, the own goal was officially attributed to defender Matheus Felipe. On the broadcast replay, Tiến Linh and Matheus Felipe stood close together amid the confusion in the penalty area, and the ball deflected off one of them before entering the goal. Therefore, Tiến Linh was not credited with an own goal.

This was Tiến Linh’s second goal for CA TP HCM in this season’s V-League. Previously, the 1997-born striker also scored a header in the first round against Hanoi FC. After three consecutive matches without scoring, Tiến Linh found the net again precisely in the match against his former club.

The 3-1 victory over Becamex TP HCM lifted CA TP HCM temporarily to 2nd place on the standings with 10 points, level with CAHN but having played one more match. Tiến Linh and his teammates will need to maintain consistent form if they want to be genuine title contenders.