Nguyen Tien Linh, who tearfully parted ways with Becamex TP HCM after 10 years to join Cong An TP HCM before this season, faced his old club for the first time at Go Dau Stadium.

In the 7th minute, Tien Linh headed Makrillos' cross into the far corner, past goalkeeper Minh Toan, to open the scoring. The 1997-born striker chose not to celebrate the goal out of respect for his former club, but he did go to the corner of the pitch for a commemorative photo.

Tien Linh's goal added insult to injury for the home fans, as Becamex TP HCM has had a difficult start to the season. They were eliminated from the National Cup by Binh Phuoc and currently sit near the bottom of the V-League with only three points. Off-field issues surrounding foreign player selection have further destabilized the team.

Striker Nguyen Tien Linh after scoring the opening goal in Cong An TP HCM's 2-1 victory over Becamex TP HCM in round 4 of the V-League 2025/2026, on the evening of 21/9. Photo: Anh Khoa

After conceding, the home side pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but goalkeeper Patrick Le Giang proved difficult to beat. They also had a stroke of luck when VAR disallowed Raphael's 37th-minute goal for offside.

Towards the end of the first half, VAR intervened again to award a penalty to the home team for Quang Hung's foul on Khac Vu inside the box. However, the referee then determined that Khac Vu was offside in the buildup.

Early in the second half, the home crowd finally had something to cheer about, thanks to an own goal from Tien Linh. In the 47th minute, Minh Trong's corner kick deflected off defender Van Anh's head and then Tien Linh's leg, diverting the ball into the Cong An TP HCM net to level the score at 1-1.

With the fortunate equalizer, the home team surged forward, but walked into the visitors' counter-attacking trap. In the 59th minute, Rafael passed to Quoc Cuong inside the box. The 21-year-old midfielder calmly controlled the ball, evaded a TP HCM defender, and curled a shot into the far corner, beating Minh Toan to make it 2-1.

In the 82nd minute, another counter-attack led to Bui Van Binh finding himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Minh Toan. He chipped the ball over the keeper, and although the referee initially flagged for offside, VAR intervened to award the goal, sealing a 3-1 victory for Cong An TP HCM.

With the three points, Cong An TP HCM moved up to second place in the table with 10 points, while Becamex TP HCM remained in 10th place with three. In round 5, Cong An TP HCM will visit SLNA, while Becamex TP HCM will face Da Nang on 27/9.

Duc Dong