V-League promotion ticket is not easy for the big teams

The three promotion candidates Truong Tuoi Dong Nai, Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh could not win on the opening day of the 2025-2026 First Division.

Ha Duc Chinh (yellow shirt) and Bac Ninh Club are deadlocked against Thanh Nien TP.HCM - Photo: NK

The 2025-2026 First Division kicked off last weekend, kicking off the race for 1.5 promotion spots to the V-League next season. But from the very first round, all three promotion candidates had to face a harsh reality.

Dong Nai School of Youth Club eagerly awaits Cong Phuong

With many stars in the squad, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club is the brightest candidate for the championship and direct promotion.

Especially when coach Nguyen Viet Thang's team defeated V-League representative Becamex TP.HCM 3-1 right at home in the 2025-2026 National Cup qualifying round.

But the reality is not like the dream. Despite being highly rated and having home field advantage, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club could not defeat Ho Chi Minh City Club on the opening day of the 2025-2026 first division.

The excellence of rookie Minh Vuong with a goal and an assist for Luu Tu Nhan to score was not enough to help Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club win all 3 points.

Because even though they play without foreign players and without any stars, Ho Chi Minh City Club still plays very uncomfortably thanks to the squad of players who have fought in V-League.

Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club (blue shirt) in the draw against Ho Chi Minh City Club - Photo: TTDN FC

And that is the problem of Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club. If they do not improve their playing style in the upcoming matches, coach Nguyen Viet Thang and his team will not be able to easily defeat other teams.

The season has just begun, but if there are any more mistakes, it will be very difficult to realize the dream of promotion. Therefore, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club is looking forward to the return of captain Cong Phuong soon after missing the first two matches of the season due to injury.

Bac Ninh stars lose to youth

Bac Ninh is the only team in the league to hire a foreign coach, and the famous coach Paulo Foiani used to lead the Hanoi Police Club in V-League 2023. The Kinh Bac team's squad is also very strong with many former national and U23 players.

But Bac Ninh Club was eventually held to a 0-0 draw by the much weaker Thanh Nien TP.HCM team at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Striker Kaina Nunes missed a penalty kick early in the second half, causing Bac Ninh FC to miss out on a chance to win. But in reality, coach Paulo Foiani’s team could not dominate the home team’s players, most of whom were only 17-21 years old.

Veteran strikers like Ha Duc Chinh, Mai Xuan Quyet, Pham Van Thanh, Ngan Van Dai and Hai Huy were all completely stuck in scoring. And that was just a young team, while there were many other formidable opponents ahead.

Vu Minh Tuan (Quang Ninh Club) was helpless against goalkeeper Tong Duc An - Photo: VPF

Cold water for Quang Ninh's promotion ambitions

Unlike Truong Tuoi Dong Nai and Bac Ninh Clubs, which had a draw, Quang Ninh Club immediately received defeat in the opening match.

Quang Ninh FC's squad has many players who have fought in the V-League. Notable are Thai Ba Sang, Bui Van Hieu and the attacking trio Vu Minh Tuan, Mac Hong Quan, and Nghiem Xuan Tu. However, the mining team could not score against PVF-CAND Youth, a second-tier team that was only awarded a spot in the tournament at the last minute.

The core of PVF-CAND Youth is the U21 players who just won the 2025 National U21 Championship, supplemented by a few experienced players such as goalkeeper Tong Duc An, center back Mac Duc Viet Anh, striker Berrio Orlando (Colombia), and Vietnamese-American midfielder Mark Huynh. But that alone has shaken up a promotion candidate like Quang Ninh.

The lack of foreign players is the biggest weakness of Quang Ninh Club in the match against PVF-CAND Youth. Although coach Nguyen Van Dan declared that foreign players are not a big problem for the team after the loss, it will clearly have a big impact on Quang Ninh Club in the promotion race, at least until the end of the first leg.

Only round 1, but the 2025-2026 First Division is worth watching and shows the fierceness in the race for promotion tickets.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ve-thang-hang-v-league-khong-de-cho-cac-dai-gia-20250922112949992.htm