Spanish coach speaks candidly about the V-League championship race

Gerard Albadalejo, the coach of Ninh Binh FC, openly discusses the championship battle against CAHN.

Playing at home against the weaker Becamex TP HCM, Ninh Binh was expected to secure an easy win. However, the team underperformed, taking only a 1-0 lead from a penalty before conceding an equalizer late in the second half and settling for a 1-1 draw.

Although maintaining a 33-match unbeaten streak, a record in Asia, earning just one point puts Ninh Binh FC at risk of losing their top spot. Hoang Duc and his teammates remain ahead of CAHN by one point but have played one more match than them.

If CAHN wins their postponed round 4 match against HAGL (postponed due to AFC Champions League Two commitments), they will overtake Ninh Binh FC at the top. However, Ninh Binh’s head coach Gerard Albadalejo believes it’s not guaranteed that CAHN will earn three points just because they haven’t played yet:

"CAHN still has a match to play against HAGL, and we need to see if they can secure a victory. Currently, CAHN is in good form, but in football, you cannot underestimate any opponent. It’s wrong to assume CAHN will automatically win those pending matches.

We will focus on handling each of our matches. CAHN has their path, and we have ours. Other teams do as well; each must write their own story. Our core task is to concentrate on what Ninh Binh does well and identify areas we need to improve.

I feel ashamed for not securing a win today. There were many issues that prevented Ninh Binh from finding ways to beat the opponent and claim victory. We controlled the game almost entirely but lacked decisive finishing to score."