Viettel beat Thanh Hoa in the extra minute
In the second minute of the second half, from a teammate's breakthrough, Nham Manh Dung controlled the ball and turned to cross with his right foot. Inside, center-back Nguyen Thanh Binh was suddenly present, hitting a dangerous connector into the table.
The minimum victory helped Viettel reach 32 points, equal to the top of Hanoi FC but played more than one match. Meanwhile, Thanh Hoa dropped to fourth with 30 points.
Before that, the match at Thanh Hoa Stadium took place with a slightly better position belonging to the home team. At the 5th minute, goalkeeper Pham Van Phong had to use his fingertips to save Viettel, after Bruno Cunha's header hit midfielder Thanh Binh and changed direction. In the 28th minute, Van Phong continued to save after Bruno's long shot outside the penalty area.
Rarely, Viettel can respond, with a face-to-face phase from Mohamed Essameldin or a long shot from Nguyen Hoang Duc but misses the goal or is saved by goalkeeper Thanh Diep. In the 65th minute, goalkeeper Van Phong subjectively let Bruno steal the ball in the penalty area, but soon after that, the impact caused the home striker to miss the opportunity. 10 minutes later, Viettel's goal was shaken with a left shot that hit the crossbar of Vo Nguyen Hoang in the left corner.
Off the touchline, a common image this season reappeared when coach Velizar Popov received a yellow card for the referee's error. Thinking that the match would end with a draw, Thanh Binh suddenly took the opportunity, causing the home team to fall. After the match, coach Velizar Popov's assistant continued to react harshly to the referee Tran Dinh Thinh but was not sanctioned.
In the next round on August 12, Thanh Hoa continued to play at home against Hanoi FC, while Viettel faced Hanoi Police.
Thanh Hoa: Thanh Diep, Minh Tung, Trinh Van Loi, Doan Ngoc Ha, Doan Ngoc Tan, Hoang Thai Binh, A Mit, Thai Son, Trong Hung, Lam Ti Phong, Bruno Cunha
Viettel: Pham Van Phong, Thanh Binh, Bui Tien Dung, Phan Tuan Tai, Bui Duy Thuong, Jaha, Duc Chien, Hoang Duc, Duong Van Hao, Mohamed Essameldin, Jefferson Elias.
