Nearly losing to the second-to-last team at home, Nam Dinh still remains trapped in a crisis cycle.

Although playing at home against a weaker side, defending champions Nam Dinh had to wait until the final moments to secure a point at Thien Truong Stadium.

Nam Dinh escaped danger but has not yet broken free from the crisis cycle.

From the opening minutes, the match was lively with both teams creating numerous chances. Nam Dinh had an early threat in the 5th minute when Van Vu threaded a pass to Van Dat, but Da Nang’s goalkeeper Van Bieu made a timely save. Da Nang responded with a long-range shot from Van Vu in the 7th minute, but the ball went wide. In the 9th minute, Da Nang faced a blow as Quoc Nhat was injured and had to leave the pitch.

The turning point came in the 14th minute when Da Nang scored first. From a difficult cross by Henen, Nam Dinh’s goalkeeper Nguyen Manh blocked Anh Tuan’s shot, but Phi Hoang was quick to follow up and scored on the rebound, giving Da Nang a 1-0 lead. After conceding, Nam Dinh pressed forward with chances from Lam Ti Phong (38th minute) and Brenner (33rd minute), but Da Nang’s defense, led by Duc Anh and goalkeeper Van Bieu, remained solid, preserving the 1-0 lead until halftime.