This weekend, the National First Division - also known as V.League 2, season 2024-2025 will officially kick off. As usual, there is not much interest in this tournament, because Vietnamese football fans understand the level of professional quality of the tournament.
However, the 31st season in the history of the First Division is facing a change. Whether it is historic or not is not known, but at least, the attraction and interest have increased dramatically.
Starting with the names. It is true that in the general picture of Vietnamese football, when many stars and famous names return from abroad (Cong Phuong), leave V.League (Hoang Duc, Van Lam, Thanh Binh, Ngoc Duc, Huu Tuan), promising young players (Quoc Viet) move down to the First Division, it is not a very positive signal, but for the tournament itself, their presence is an increase in many bright spots, bringing new values.
Of course, although people also understand that there are still concerns, worries, even doubts because it is related to financial factors, then changing the coaching staff, players... but it is also necessary to see that finance also has a certain impact.
Or in other words, in a way, finance is the motivation for the individual, for the team, for the whole tournament.
It will take financial sustainability, not a “bubble”, to truly develop, but that is another story. Here, the First Division has scored, has “won” in the first aspect of attraction.
For those who felt another week was long enough, there were more points scored over the weekend – live on the pitch, by some of the aforementioned names. It couldn’t have been a better “introduction” to the 2024-2025 First Division.
With their proper roles, Cong Phuong and Van Lam have added excitement to the feeling of anticipation for the season's start.
Accordingly, it took Cong Phuong only 5 minutes to score his first goal in his new shirt, when Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc beat Tre TP Ho Chi Minh 1-0 in the 2024-2025 National Cup qualifying round. That was also the 29-year-old striker's first goal in 2 years.
More notably, that goal helped Binh Phuoc advance and will meet Hoang Anh Gia Lai - Cong Phuong's old team.
One day later, in the pouring rain under Thong Nhat Stadium, Van Lam was the brightest star of Phu Dong Ninh Binh club. The "water battle" with Ho Chi Minh City club ended in a 0-0 draw.
Before entering the penalty shootout, Van Lam had impressive saves, and in front of coach Kim Sang-sik, he successfully blocked 2 penalty kicks, bringing the home team to the next round.
Hoang Duc was not on the list of players but Ninh Binh was still the only team from the First Division to overcome a representative of the V.League.
With such "scores", the atmosphere of the 2024-2025 First Division has been greatly "heated"...
