Five talking points from 2020 V.League Matchday 2

Following are five talking points from the latest V.League action.

A booming matchday of goals

HCM City's Nguyen Xuan Nam is leading the V.League scoring tally with three goals.

Matchday 2 witnessed a spectacular goal party created by the 14 participating teams, with no match ending in a stalemate. Specifically, a total of 22 goals were blasted throughout the seven clashes, an average of 3.14 goals per game. This is an extremely amazing figure at the moment as the V.League is being played behind closed doors due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Impressively, Vietnamese players were on target in six of the seven matches over the weekend, only excluding the one between Hai Phong FC and Quang Nam FC.

Teams from HCM City display shining form

HCM City are the only team to maintain a winning run in V.League 2020.

Two representatives of Ho Chi Minh City – HCM City FC and Saigon FC – emerged as the winning sides from the weekend’s V.League action.

Particularly, HCM City FC have climbed two points clear at the top of the table as the only team to retain a winning run.

Meanwhile, Saigon FC surprisingly climbed to second, as one of the five teams who are level on four points. Vu Tien Thanh’s side continued to impress with an effective counterattack to thrash SHB Da Nang 4-1, the widest margin among the seven Matchday 2 fixtures.

The second fastest goal in V.League history

Saigon FC's Pedro Paulo celebrates with teammates after scoring the second fastest goal in V.League history.

Matchday 2 witnessed the second fastest goal in V.League history, with Brazilian forward Pedro Paulo needing only 14 seconds to open the scoring for Saigon FC against SHB Da Nang.

During the match, Pedro Paulo snatched a brace to fire Vu Tien Thanh’s troops to a resounding 4-1 away victory, which has lifted them to second in the V.League table.

SHB Da Nang and Thanh Hoa FC show decline of form

SHB Da Nang (in orange) are among the three empty-handed teams after the first two matchdays of V.League 2020.

Newly promoted Hong Linh Ha Tinh, 2012 champions SHB Da Nang and 2018 runners-up Thanh Hoa FC are the only three teams to remain empty-handed after the first two matchdays of V.League 2020. While the fact comes as little surprise to rookies Hong Linh Ha Tinh, who still show a lack of V.League experience, it is a big disappointment for the remaining two teams as they had made thorough preparations prior to the 2020 season.

Hanoi FC deprived of top spot after bitter defeat

Jeremie Dwayne Lynch (no. 91) scores a brace in Quang Ninh Coal's 3-1 win over Hanoi FC.

Defending title holders Hanoi FC wasted the chance to cement their grip at the top of the table after conceding a humiliating 1-3 defeat against Quang Ninh Coal.

During the match, Chu Dinh Nghiem’s side showed serious defensive holes, which cost them dearly as Mac Hong Quan (9’) and Jeremie Lynch (45’, 84’) fired on target for the hosts.