Before facing Ninh Binh in round 14, Nam Dinh was on a 10-match winless streak. The team also had to bring back former coach Vu Hong Viet after coach Mauro Jeronimo resigned. Meanwhile, Nguyen Xuan Son had not scored in four domestic league matches, a stark contrast to his record of 7 goals in three matches in the Southeast Asian Club Cup.
Entering tonight's match at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh fell behind by two goals after 32 minutes. However, their resilient spirit helped them come back to win 3-2. Xuan Son became a key player once again, scoring a beautiful header to equalize 2-2, before indirectly setting up the winning goal for Kevin Pham Ba.
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Nam Dinh striker Nguyen Xuan Son (white jersey) playing in the 0-1 loss against The Cong (red jersey) in round 13 and the 3-2 win against Ninh Binh (black jersey) in round 14 of V-League 2025-2026. *Photo: Quang Duong*
'Some friends told me that Vietnamese players have a habit of getting haircuts when they're on a bad streak,' Xuan Son said. 'I'm also Vietnamese, so I followed suit, and the haircut really changed my luck. I need to learn and absorb more Vietnamese culture.'
After scoring, Xuan Son ran to the team's technical area, placing his index finger to his lips. Teammates and coaches rushed to embrace him for the valuable goal. When the final whistle blew, the striker, born in 1997, lay on the field, but not from exhaustion.
'It was just emotion. I'm happy to win a match in this style,' Xuan Son stated. 'My physical condition is definitely not at its best after a long injury layoff. But I always try to come back stronger than ever, with 200% effort.'
On the opposing side, Nguyen Hoang Duc also congratulated his Vietnam national team teammate on ending his V-League goal drought. 'I hope Xuan Son returns to his best, becomes more dangerous than before, and scores many goals,' the Ninh Binh captain said.
Coach Vu Hong Viet asserted that Xuan Son's previous goal drought was due to bad luck, not poor performance. In his second stint leading the team, he reverted to his familiar style of instructing players to provide maximum service to the team's primary striker. 'We have worked together for a long time, so we understand each other,' said the Brazilian-born naturalized striker. 'Coach Viet told the whole team to support me, to pass and cross a lot to maximize my abilities. I thank the coach for helping the team and me transform. I hope I can score many goals and help the team win more.'
After 14 V-League rounds, Nam Dinh secured only their third victory. The reigning champions are currently 9th with 15 points, 20 points behind league leaders Cong an Ha Noi, having played one more match.
Hieu Luong
