Viettel’s Nguyễn Hoàng Đức (left), Pedro Paulo (center) and Geovane Magno rejoice their win towards Topenland Binh Dinh. Picture anninhthudo.vn
Peter Cowan
Unpredictability is among the greatest issues about soccer, and it took lower than per week for a number of of my daring V.League 1 predictions to go away egg on my face.
The primary match day of the season noticed a postponement as Thanh Hóa have been unable to journey to face Hà Nội FC attributable to COVID-19 circumstances of their squad, leaving the potential for a full league season being accomplished removed from sure.
We’re not right here to speak about COVID-19 although, as a substitute it’s one other prognostication that has me feeling sheepish.
Topenland Bình Định and Viettel FC had fairly contrasting pre-seasons.
The previous spent liberally and introduced in star gamers aplenty, whereas Viettel misplaced two key starters in Quế Ngọc Hải and Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng to Sông Lam Nghệ An.
Viettel are nonetheless defending champions, lest we overlook, however I had Bình Định as agency favourites to defeat them at residence on Friday night time on their strategy to mounting a title problem.
Whereas one sport in is just too early to put in writing Bình Định off, I feel we noticed sufficient proof of their 2-0 win to remind us that Viettel might be robust to unseat.
Though the house aspect had their probabilities and seemed extra threatening early on, Viettel relied on what took them to the title in 2020 to safe all three factors.
Even with out former Việt Nam captain Hải, their defence was dogged sufficient to maintain Bình Định at bay, and on the different finish they relied on some particular person magic to nick a few targets.
The seventieth minute opener from the pinnacle of captain Bùi Tiến Dũng got here from Nguyễn Hoàng Đức’s pleasant free-kick supply. Everyone knows how good Đức is (too good to nonetheless be enjoying right here) nevertheless it was a vivid reminder.
The second objective got here on the counter within the last seconds of added time as Brazilian ahead Geovane Magno clipped the ball over an onrushing defender earlier than chipping the goalkeeper.
It was a wonderful objective and once more served as a well timed reminder: Viettel have a potent ahead partnership.
Whereas Magno was deemed surplus to necessities at Hà Nội FC, he’s nonetheless among the best foreigners within the league for my cash and his partnership with fellow Brazilian Pedro Paulo is confirmed to be a lethal one at this degree.
It wasn’t that way back that Paulo and Magno have been wreaking havoc for Sài Gòn FC as they surged to a shock third-place end in 2020.
Reuniting a partnership that catapulted an in any other case abnormal group into title competition simply two years in the past could develop into a masterstroke for Viettel. VNS
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