Not playing on the field, Đình Bắc along with CAHN won the first half championship of the V-League

The surprising loss of Ninh Bình FC indirectly enabled CAHN to clinch the first half championship of the 2025/26 V-League ahead of schedule.

In the 13th round of the V-League, Ninh Bình FC disappointed greatly by losing to HAGL right at their home stadium. This poor result was not only the second consecutive defeat for the team from the ancient capital but also accidentally gave a significant advantage to CAHN in the title race.

Specifically, although not playing this round, CAHN still firmly holds the top spot in the 2025/26 V-League after the first half of the season. The Police team currently has 29 points from 11 matches, two points ahead of Ninh Bình FC, while still having two games in hand.

CAHN did not participate in this round because they had proactively requested to postpone their away match against SHB Đà Nẵng, in order to focus all their efforts on two crucial matches in the AFC Champions League Round of 16, scheduled for February 11 and 18.

If they make good use of these two postponed matches, Đình Bắc and his teammates could extend their lead over Ninh Bình FC to eight points, thereby gaining a huge advantage in the V-League title race this season.

Conversely, Ninh Bình FC also faces the risk of losing second place to Thể Công Viettel. The Army team has played two fewer matches and is only five points behind Ninh Bình FC. If they manage to beat SLNA on February 8 and Nam Định on February 24, Coach Velizar Popov’s squad could take second place, making the title race even more exciting.

In the recent match at Ninh Bình Arena, the home team conceded first due to an early mistake by newcomer Lê Văn Thuận, allowing Nguyễn Minh Tâm of HAGL to score at the 16th minute. Although Geovane Magno equalized with a beautiful free kick in the second half, the visitors capitalized on a counterattack in the 85th minute to score the decisive goal by Marciel, sealing a 2-1 victory for the Mountain Town team.

The first home defeat after two seasons put Ninh Bình at a disadvantage in the title race, while HAGL climbed to 8th place.