In the 64th minute, Hai Phong lost possession outside the box. Nguyen Quang Hai quickly seized the opportunity, curling a left-footed shot that grazed the inside of the left post and found the back of the net.

Six minutes later, the 1997-born midfielder initiated the second goal. He slotted a pass to the left for Dinh Bac, who then crossed to Leonardo Artur. The Brazilian forward took one touch before curling a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, doubling CAHN's lead.

Nguyen Quang Hai (left) celebrates his opening goal in the 64th minute during Cong An Ha Noi's 2-1 victory over Hai Phong in the early match of round 9 of the 2025-2026 V-League, at Hang Day Stadium, Ha Noi on 13/9/2025. Photo: Hoang Huynh

CAHN's match against Hai Phong on the evening of September 13th was an early fixture in round 9 of the V-League, along with Nam Dinh's match against Cong An TP HCM. These two matches were brought forward to accommodate Nam Dinh and CAHN's participation in Southeast Asian and Asian tournaments.

Quang Hai's brilliance shone through after over an hour of deadlock against Hai Phong. His first opportunity came in the 23rd minute with a free-kick that forced Dinh Trieu to punch the ball away.

Hai Phong maintained a defensive posture throughout the match, but still created several nervy moments for the home side. In the 26th minute, Luiz Antonio's shot from a tight left angle required two attempts from Filip Nguyen to secure the ball. Later, the Vietnamese-Czech goalkeeper's inaccurate clearance allowed Huu Nam a long-range shot that hit the top of the net. Towards the end of the first half, Fred Friday dribbled past a defender, but his shot towards the left corner was blocked by Filip Nguyen's foot.

In the second half, CAHN increased their attacking efforts, but the absence of Alan Sebastiao, the V-League's top scorer this season with 5 goals, blunted their attack. In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu made two crucial saves, first from Artur's volley from outside the box towards the top right corner, and then from Dinh Bac's volley inside the penalty area.

After scoring two goals, CAHN slowed the tempo, absorbing pressure and looking to counter-attack. However, Le Van Do, Dinh Bac, and Artur were unable to capitalize on opportunities as they approached the penalty area.

Hai Phong made a strong impression in the final 10 minutes. In the 80th minute, CAHN's penalty area became chaotic before Pham Trung Hieu's left-footed volley went wide. In the third minute of added time, Friday's header from the byline forced Filip Nguyen to make a diving save, but Bui Tien Dung was quickest to react, tapping in the rebound to make the score 2-1.

Nam Dinh defender Nguyen Van Vi (white) competes with Cong An TP HCM goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang during their 0-0 draw in round 9 of the 2025-2026 V-League at Thong Nhat Stadium, TP HCM on 13/9/2025. Photo: Hai Tu

The victory in this early round 9 match propelled CAHN to the top of the table, surpassing Ninh Binh. CAHN now has 10 points, one more than Ninh Binh, but has played one more game.

In the other early match, Nam Dinh played to a goalless draw against Cong An TP HCM. Nam Dinh nearly conceded a goal in the 49th minute, but goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh made a brilliant save against Nguyen Tien Linh's shot.

The defending V-League champions remain in 4th place with 7 points, level with Cong An TP HCM, but ahead on goal difference.

Starting Lineups:

Cong An Ha Noi: Nguyen Filip, Hugo Gomes, Cao Quang Vinh Pendant, Tran Dinh Trong, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Le Van Do, Le Pham Thanh Long, Quang Hai, Stefan Mauk, Dinh Bac, Leonardo Artur

Hai Phong: Dinh Trieu, Bui Tien Dung, Pham Trung Hieu, Nhat Minh, Trieu Viet Hung, Huu Nam, Ho Minh Di, Le Manh Dung, Bicou Bissainthe, Luiz Antonio, Fred Friday.

Hieu Luong