Did Thanh Hóa suffer an unjust loss to Hà Tĩnh due to VAR?

Thanh Hóa's 0-1 loss to Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh in round 15 of V.League 2025/26 is generating significant debate, especially the VAR situation at minute 19 which resulted in the Thanh-based club not receiving a penalty.

VAR denies penalty, Thanh Hóa falters at home

The contentious incident occurred when striker Rimario fell inside the penalty area following contact from behind by Tấn Tài. Initially, referee Hoàng Thanh Bình allowed play to continue. However, after receiving a signal from VAR, he stopped the match to review the footage.

After nearly 10 minutes of review, the refereeing team determined that Rimario was in an offside position before the collision occurred. Consequently, Thanh Hóa did not receive the expected penalty. This decision prompted strong reactions from Thanh Hóa's coaching staff and players on the field.

Coach Mai Xuân Hợp expressed dissatisfaction with the officiating team's handling of the match. He believed the VAR decision disadvantaged his team and directly impacted the course of the game.

"I don't understand why not only this match but many previous matches seem to have decisions consistently unfavorable to Thanh Hóa. In the penalty situation, when VAR reviewed it, everything was very clear. Helerson was the last man, so how could it be offside?", the Thanh Hóa coach shared indignantly.

On the other side, Hà Tĩnh's coach Nguyễn Công Mạnh stated that the refereeing team followed the correct procedure and made an accurate decision. According to him, the referee calling both captains to clearly explain the offside situation was a professional and transparent approach.

"The referee clearly stated that Rimario received the ball in an offside position before the contact happened, so they had to address this infringement first. From my perspective, that decision was reasonable," the Hà Tĩnh coach said.

After the controversial incident, the match proceeded with considerable tension but no goals during regular time. Only in the 90+3 minute did a turning point emerge when Helerson leaped high to deliver a dangerous header from a cross following a free kick on the flank, scoring the sole goal to secure a 1-0 victory for Hà Tĩnh.

Although the result is settled, the debate surrounding VAR's decision continues to make the match between Thanh Hóa and Hà Tĩnh a focal point of fan attention after round 15 of V.League.