Round 4 of the First Division: Công Phượng's Team Continues to Soar

Despite missing Công Phượng throughout the initial four rounds, Trường Tươi Đồng Nai maintains an excellent form.

After the fourth round, Trường Tươi Đồng Nai temporarily holds the top spot with 10 points. However, the gap created by Coach Việt Thắng’s team over the trailing clubs is very narrow: just 1 point ahead of second-placed Khatoco Khánh Hòa (10 points versus 9 points), and potentially catchable by the fifth-placed team, Trẻ PVF-CAND (7 points). Such a slim margin means the leaderboard standings can change rapidly after each round.

Among the current top four, fans are quite surprised that the second and third places are not occupied by the usual favorites but by Khatoco Khánh Hòa (second with 9 points) and TP.HCM (third with 8 points). The coastal team from Nha Trang has achieved 3 wins, scored 7 goals, and consistently challenged the top position. TP.HCM has secured 2 wins, 2 draws, and scored up to 10 goals (the highest-scoring offense in the league up to round 4).

Meanwhile, the teams expected to perform strongly, such as Bắc Ninh, Quảng Ninh, and Quy Nhơn United, have not advanced as impressively as anticipated. Quảng Ninh has dropped to 6th place, and Quy Nhơn United is 7th with 4 points, both needing to exert significant effort in the upcoming matches to avoid falling too far behind in the standings.

In the upcoming rounds, the competition among the leading group could see unpredictable changes. Bắc Ninh may leapfrog Trường Tươi Đồng Nai in round 5 when these two teams face each other at Bình Phước Stadium. This will be a real challenge for both top contenders. Meanwhile, at 19/8 Nha Trang Stadium, Khatoco Khánh Hòa will host the in-form Trẻ PVF-CAND (7 points).

The bottom group is gradually taking shape with teams like Đồng Tháp, Xuân Thiện Phú Thọ, and Thanh Niên TP.HCM, all holding 2 points. Similarly to the top group’s competition, the battle at the bottom is also very unpredictable due to the close point differences and no team showing clear weakness compared to the others.

All three teams at the bottom have yet to taste victory. Should any of them win in the upcoming rounds, the leaderboard positions will shift significantly since teams above them like Đại Học Văn Hiến and Long An are only ahead by 1-2 points.