After Round 14 of the First Division: The Top 3 Race Heats Up

The competition for the top 3 spots in the First Division is intensifying more than ever, while no magic appears to be in sight for the league's bottom team, Thanh niên TP.HCM.

In this race, Trường Tươi Đồng Nai Club is striving to push even harder in the current phase to reach the finish line quickly. Especially since the opponent for Coach Việt Thắng's team in round 14 is Đồng Tháp Club – a lower-group team that lost 1-5 in the first-leg match (round 10). However, calculations in football don't always turn out as expected. Trường Tươi Đồng Nai Club could only leave Đồng Tháp with 1 point, after a 0-0 draw with the home team from the land of lotus lakes.

The one point earned still allows Coach Việt Thắng's squad to maintain the top spot on the standings with a 6-point gap over the two trailing teams, Quy Nhơn United Club and Bắc Ninh (32 points versus 26). However, the recent slowed progress of the ambitious Trường Tươi Đồng Nai force could open opportunities for the teams behind as the tournament still has a fairly long journey ahead (8 rounds). Trường Tươi Đồng Nai Club has so far recorded 5 draws (with no defeats yet), including 2 draws in the early phase of the second leg.

This puts the team of Minh Vương, Công Phượng, Tấn Trường… under constant pressure from chasing rivals. If in the late first-leg phase it was Bắc Ninh Club rising up, once closing the gap closely, now it is Quy Nhơn United Club. Bắc Ninh Club seemed at times to be breathing hot air on the back of Trường Tươi Đồng Nai, but they stalled due to a loss to TP.HCM Club in round 12. In round 14, Bắc Ninh Club also couldn't secure 3 points, only drawing 0-0 with Quảng Ninh Club, missing the chance to reclaim second place and reduce the gap with the top team.

During a phase where both Trường Tươi Đồng Nai and Bắc Ninh couldn't win easily, a surprising name surged with a streak of 4 wins: Quy Nhơn United. With a full 12 points in the early second-leg phase, the martial land team from a position seemingly without hope of contention, jumped to 2nd place, closing in on the top spot with only a 6-point gap (32 versus 26). A very exciting and unpredictable race among these teams as they still have direct encounters in rounds 16, 18, and 21.

Trailing closely behind is the group of clubs that have reached the 20-point milestone and are ready to attack the top 3. In this race, TP.HCM Club with 24 points is a highly potential name, also showing uncompromising competitive ambition. Next is the surprising name Văn Hiến University (23 points). This team has built an unbeaten streak from round 6 to now with 5 wins, 4 draws, opening up opportunities to compete for high rankings alongside the contenders.

Khatoco Khánh Hòa Club gradually slipped to 7th place on the standings, with 20 points. From round 11 to round 14, the coastal city team from Nha Trang lost 3 consecutive matches against competing teams (the remaining match was a draw with bottom-placed Thanh niên TP.HCM Club), distancing itself from the top-group race. However, this team can still seek opportunities for the top 3.

After round 14, the bottom group remains unchanged as Thanh niên TP.HCM Club continues at the bottom, Long An Club sits above with a 4-point gap (8 points versus 4 points) and Đồng Tháp Club gained another point to reach 10 points, ranking 10th.