Round 9 of the 2025/2026 V-League: Closing in on the top spot

Ninh Binh’s draw has allowed CAHN and Viettel to get closer to the top position.

As one of the six teams playing early in Round 9 of the V-League, Hanoi Police put strong pressure on Ninh Binh by defeating PVF-CAND 2-0 at their home ground, Hang Day Stadium.

With this victory, CAHN reached 20 points, closing in on Ninh Binh in the standings, and if they secure another 3 points in the postponed Round 4 match against host Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Pleiku Stadium next December, coach Alexandre Polking’s team could realistically aim for the top spot in the V-League.

Whether due to the intense pressure from CAHN or not, Ninh Binh failed to win against Becamex TP.HCM in the match held the following day. This draw means Ninh Binh now leads CAHN by only 1 point but has played one more match.

Recent favorable results have helped Hai Phong climb from the mid-table into the top group, and in Round 9 of the V-League, Hai Phong delivered one of the most thrilling matches of the round with a stunning comeback at Thong Nhat Stadium.

This season, Hai Phong no longer has their main striker Lucao, but Friday and Tagueu have effectively taken over the goal-scoring duties left by the Brazilian forward, helping coach Chu Dinh Nghiem’s team soar in the V-League standings.

However, just as Hai Phong excelled away from home this round, The Cong Viettel also shone brightly on the road. In a reunion with the club where he made his name in the V-League, Dong A Thanh Hoa, coach Velizar Popov secured a valuable 1-0 victory to keep their championship hopes alive.

After Round 9 of the V-League, the battle for the top spot revolves around four teams: Ninh Binh, Hanoi Police, The Cong Viettel, and Hai Phong, with the points gap limited to just a single win.

In the lower half of the table, the fight to avoid the bottom two spots is fiercely contested among six clubs: Becamex TP.HCM, SLNA, SHB Da Nang, PVF–CAND, Dong A Thanh Hoa, and HAGL. Among them, five teams—SLNA, SHB Da Nang, PVF-CAND, Dong A Thanh Hoa, and HAGL—each have 7 points, while Becamex TP.HCM sits just one point ahead.