Cong An Nyan Dan claimed a narrow 1-0 win against Viettel in the V.League 1 regular season opener on Wednesday, the result decided deep into stoppage time. The visitors held firm despite playing with ten men after a second-half dismissal, and their patience paid off when the ball found the net in the 90th minute.
There were plenty of cards flying before the decisive moment. Nguyen Dinh Bac received a yellow card at the 30-minute mark, while K. Pham Ba and an unnamed player were cautioned just before half-time. The game turned when Doan Van Hau was sent off for Viettel at the 70-minute point, and Trieu Viet Hung added another booking shortly after.
And here's the thing about late goals — they tend to feel inevitable once you've watched enough matches. Viettel pushed forward after the red card but couldn't find a way through, while Cong An Nyan Dan looked dangerous on the break. Nguyen Duc Hoang Minh picked up a yellow card at 86 minutes before the decisive moment arrived at 90+3, with another card following at 90+4.
By then, the result was beyond doubt. The visitors had weathered the storm and taken all three points back to their dressing room. To be fair, neither side had much to show in terms of dominance — it was a tight affair decided by a single moment of quality when the game was already slipping away from the hosts.
Both teams now sit on three points after their opening fixtures, with Viettel fifth and Cong An Nyan Dan fourth in the table. The gap between them is negligible, but the early-season standings don't tell you much when everyone has played exactly one game. What matters is how they respond next time out.
