Quang Hai helps Hanoi Police draw with Nam Dinh

Hanoi Police aim to win to close the gap when they host the top team Nam Dinh at Hang Day Stadium. The home team intends to "make up for the defense with offense", but is also affected by the absence of left-back Jason Quang Vinh Pendant, who has received three yellow cards and is suspended.

Nam Dinh also lost left-back Nguyen Van Vi for the same reason as Jason. The team also lost central defender Duong Thanh Hao right before the match, forcing them to register foreign player Lucas Alves and remove central midfielder Caio Cesar. After 4 minutes, coach Vu Hong Viet lost striker Tran Van Dat due to injury, having to replace him with Tran Van Cong. The defending champions' injury list continued to grow after Nguyen Xuan Son, Nguyen Van Toan and To Van Vu.

After a tight first 15 minutes, opportunities began to open up for both teams. In the 18th minute, Leonardo Artur kicked a free kick from the bottom right wing to the far post for Hugo Gomes to head into the side of the net. Five minutes later, Tran Dinh Trong failed to control Nguyen Filip's pass in the penalty area, then was approached by Joseph Mpande and robbed of the ball. The foreign player turned to fool Filip, then kicked the ball into the empty net to score. However, referee Ngo Duy Lan determined that Mpande had fouled Dinh Trong after reviewing the video, so the goal was disallowed. On the way to the video viewing position, Mr. Lan also gave a yellow card to home coach Mano Polking for overreacting.

In the 36th minute, referee Duy Lan made Artur react when he determined that he had committed a foul on the opponent on the right wing. Immediately after that, a Nam Dinh player crossed the ball to the far post for Mpande to head the ball into the left corner to open the score. The home team's defense once again appeared fragile when both Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Ha Van Phuong did not mark well.

Despite being behind, Hanoi Police still launched a good attack. In the 41st minute, the team advanced the ball to the left wing for Van Phuong to cross into the 5m50 box, but Dinh Bac headed the ball out. 4 minutes later, Gomes passed the ball high behind Nam Dinh's defense. Artur controlled the cross, creating a chaotic situation, before Quang Hai rushed in and shot with his left foot, sending the ball into the right corner of the goal, not giving Nguyen Manh a chance to react.

The second half saw both teams' attackers struggling to create chances. It wasn't until the 77th minute that a notable situation appeared when Romulo curled the ball from outside the box and missed the right post.

After that, Hanoi Police continuously had opportunities. In the 84th minute, Artur headed the ball into the penalty area and hit Dinh Bac. The striker born in 2004 tried to turn around and shoot from close range, but goalkeeper Nguyen Manh quickly came out to catch the ball. Four minutes later, Dinh Bac continued to be unsuccessful when facing Nguyen Manh from Thanh Long's delicate chip outside the penalty area. In the 90th minute, Dinh Bac kept the ball well on the right wing and then flicked the ball to the wing. Artur smartly passed the ball to Quang Hai, but in the penalty area, this midfielder shot into Nguyen Manh.

This is the second consecutive match that Hanoi Police drew 1-1 in the V-League. The team is still in sixth place with 22 points, 9 points behind Nam Dinh. Coach Vu Hong Viet and his team were also narrowed to three points by The Cong - the team that just beat Binh Duong 2-1.