Round 14 V-League: CAHN shines, tension in the bottom group

HAG Club's loss to CAHN, combined with wins from opponents SHB Da Nang and SLNA, has intensified the competition at the bottom of the table…

The highland team from Pleiku is in high spirits as they travel to face CAHN. Coach Quang Trai's squad has secured two consecutive wins against Ninh Binh Club and SHB Da Nang Club, entering the match against the league leaders with confidence. In the first half, HAGL was the side that opened the scoring, raising hopes for a major upset.

However, CAHN Club prevented that from happening in the second half. Goals from Minh Phuc and Dos Santos (a brace) secured a 3-1 comeback victory for the home team. It was a disappointing result for HAGL, but credit must be given to CAHN's composure. The win allows Coach Polking and his team to solidify their top position with 35 points, leading second-place Ninh Binh by 8 points and third-place The Cong Viettel by 10 points.

SHB Da Nang Club had been waiting and building up for too long to achieve their second victory in this V.League 1 season. And this second win – in a "reverse final" against fellow relegation-battler PVF-CAND – brings immense joy and significance to the Han River team: closing the gap to just 1 point (10 points vs. 11 points), avoiding the risk of being left far behind, and injecting much-needed confidence and momentum for the challenging road ahead.

Another team in the relegation battle, SLNA Club, also secured a precious 1-0 victory over HL Ha Tinh. This win helps the Nghe team climb to 8th place in the standings, right behind the opponent they just defeated, HL Ha Tinh.

The battle at the bottom is increasingly showing its fierce and unpredictable nature following SHB Da Nang's win and the resurgence of SLNA and HAGL. As mentioned, SHB Da Nang has significantly closed the gap to the teams above, now just 1-2 points away from the safety zone. Just above them, PVF-CAND Club still hasn't found the footing to break away from the group, something SLNA managed with 3 wins since round 11 to jump into mid-table, or HAGL with their wins in rounds 12 and 13.

But the distance between these clubs and rivals like Dong A Thanh Hoa, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, and Becamex Binh Duong is not large, making a shift in fortunes very possible in just a few upcoming rounds.