The defending champion lost the match.
The biggest surprise in round 1 of V.League 2024-2025 was Nam Dinh club's 0-1 defeat to Hong Linh Ha Tinh. The defending champion faced many difficulties without the services of key striker Rafaelson.
Despite creating many dangerous situations, Hendrio, Van Toan and Van Vi could not take advantage of their opportunities. They let their opponents take the initiative when Vietnamese-American player Adou Minh headed in a goal at the end of the first half.
This defeat signals a challenging season for Nam Dinh. The journey to defend the title of coach Vu Hong Viet and his team is not easy, especially when many teams have quality investments such as Hanoi Police, Binh Duong, Hanoi FC...
Hoang Anh Gia Lai makes its mark
Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club had a smooth start in the first round of V.League 2024-2025 when they defeated Quang Nam 4-0 at Hoa Xuan Stadium. This was the most resounding victory of the mountain town team in 5 years, since the 5-1 victory over Hai Phong in the 2019 season.
With this result, coach Le Quang Trai and his team have temporarily risen to the top of the rankings. Thus, after 3 years and 4 months, Hoang Anh Gia Lai has returned to the top of the V.League rankings for the first time.
The last time the Pleiku home team did this was in V.League 2021 after defeating Than Quang Ninh in May 2021. That was the season when Hoang Anh Gia Lai played very well under Thai coach Kiatisak, unfortunately the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Youngest V.League player to score
Tran Gia Bao - 16-year-old striker of Hoang Anh Gia Lai had a V.League debut with many highlights. He was sent onto the field by coach Le Quang Trai from the 72nd minute in the match against Quang Nam.
During the 25 minutes of play, Gia Bao created a number of dangerous opportunities. In the 90+3 minute, after the opposing goalkeeper's poor pass, the striker born in 2008 rushed in and quickly scored, sealing a 4-0 victory for Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
Gia Bao also became the youngest player to play and score in V.League history.
New overseas Vietnamese recruits and their first impressions
Round 1 of V.League 2024-2025 witnessed the debut of overseas Vietnamese players. Newcomers Adou Minh (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Jason Quang Vinh Pendant (Hanoi Police) and Kyle Colonna (Hanoi FC) had quite good performances.
Adou Minh was the one who scored the only goal to help Hong Linh Ha Tinh defeat the defending champion Nam Dinh. The French player of Vietnamese origin also played aggressively, integrating well with his teammates in the coordination.
In addition, defender Jason Quang Vinh Pendant still maintained his form when attacking and defending rhythmically, keeping up well with his teammates in situations of movement and group coordination.
Kyle Colonna - the Vietnamese-American player was a bit confused on his first day in V.League, but overall his performance was average.
