Five highlights of Toyota V-League 1-2015 Round 18

The 18th round of the 2015 V-League wrapped up on Thursday, witnessing Becamex Binh Duong’s impressive return to the ladder’s top position. Let’s review some of the most talked about points in this round of play. 

Becamex Binh Duong resume top spot with a precious win over Quang Ninh Coal in the 18th round.

 1. Binh Duong reclaim top spot

Binh Duong resumed their reign atop the the V-League ladder - lost to FLC Thanh Hoa two rounds previously - after edging out Quang Ninh Coal on Thursday. The victory helped manager Mai Duc Chung’s players regain the confidence needed for the remaining stage of the race for this year’s title.

2. Hanoi T&T speed up

Hanoi T&T extended their unbeaten run to six games after beating direct title competitors FLC Thanh Hoa 4-1 on July 23. With this precious win, the 2014 runners-up put mounting pressure on two title rivalries in front as they are just six points behind the leading team Becamex Binh Duong.

3. Bottom group make breakthroughs

The teams at bottom - Dong Nai, XSKT Can Tho and Dong Thap - bagged three full points on home turf in this round of play. Dong Nai reached the same 13 points as Hoang Anh Gia Lai; Dong Thap jumped to 10th position with 20 points; and XSKT Can Tho pulled three points clear of the relegation zone, despite failing to improve their ranking.

4. Sanna Khanh Hoa deserve to be “black horse”

V-League newbie Sanna Khanh Hoa deserve to be the “black horse” of this year’s V-League season. After surprisingly beating reigning champions Becamex Binh Duong 2-1 in the 16th round, Khanh Hoa went on to finish off another V-League powerhouse, Song Lam Nghe An with a narrow score of 1-0 in their 18th-round match on Thursday.

5. Hoang Anh Gia Lai lose ninth away match

HA.GL continued a series of poor games on away turf after losing 0-2 to SHB Da Nang on July 23. The ninth away loss forced HA.GL once again to face the risk of relegation as they joined Dong Nai at bottom of the standings, both with 13 points.