Xuân Son shines, Nam Định demolishes Hà Tĩnh fortress

(Football result) - Xuân Son delivered a superb performance, scoring and creating an assist, enabling Nam Định to defeat Hà Tĩnh 2-0 in round 17 of V-League 2025/26.

Nam Định marched onto Hà Tĩnh's field with great determination and quickly demonstrated their intent to impose dominance from the very first minutes. The visiting team controlled the ball better, continuously organizing attacks on both wings to stretch the host's notoriously stubborn defense.

In the 19th minute, Xuân Son once managed to put the ball into Hà Tĩnh's net, but after consulting VAR, the referee disallowed the goal. Nevertheless, the pressure created by Nam Định did not diminish. By the 29th minute, Văn Vĩ delivered a favorable cross for Xuân Son to unleash a very quick shot, but goalkeeper Thanh Tùng played brilliantly to save it.

The turning point of the match came in the 34th minute, when the referee, after reviewing VAR, awarded Nam Định a penalty because a Hà Tĩnh player touched the ball with his hand inside the penalty area. From the 11-meter spot, Xuân Son calmly defeated Thanh Tùng to open the scoring 1-0 for the visitors.

Hà Tĩnh did not easily accept defeat and had moments of strong resurgence. At the end of the first half, Charles headed the ball hitting the crossbar in regret, before early in the second half Joseph once again made Nam Định's defense gasp with a dangerous shot that was blocked by Nguyên Mạnh.

While the home team was still preoccupied with seeking an equalizer, Nam Định delivered the finishing blow in the 48th minute. Xuân Son executed a delicate through ball for Ababa to break free, bypass the goalkeeper, and finish to raise the score to 2-0.

In the final minutes, Hà Tĩnh pushed forward but could not make a difference, while Xuân Son also missed a golden opportunity in the 85th minute. Nonetheless, the performance with 1 goal and 1 assist from this naturalized striker was more than enough to help Nam Định leave Hà Tĩnh with convincing 3 points.

90' + 7 Full time. Hà Tĩnh 0-2 Nam Định

85' Unbelievable.

Kevin Phạm Ba powerfully broke through on the right wing and delivered an awkward cross inside. Unfortunately, Xuân Son in a very comfortable position shot wide.

77' No goal.

Charles skillfully maneuvered to put Huỳnh Tiến Đạt in an extremely favorable position, however the Hà Tĩnh striker's shot went over the bar.

67' Seeking the equalizer

Hà Tĩnh is pushing their formation high to attack but has not yet created any notable opportunities.

51' Not successful

From an indirect free kick, the ball was lofted into the penalty area finding Joseph precisely. The Hà Tĩnh foreign player shot with great danger but Nguyên Mạnh once again excellently saved for Nam Định.

48' Goal!

Xuân Son's assist pass was too good and Ababa skillfully handled it, bypassing goalkeeper Thanh Tùng to finish and raise the score to 2-0 for Nam Định.

46' Second half begins

45' + 5 End of first half. Nam Định leads Hà Tĩnh 1-0

45' Too regrettable

A series of dangerous shots towards Nam Định's goal. The climax was Charles's header but the ball found the crossbar full of regret.

34' Goal!

The referee, after consulting VAR, decided to award Nam Định a penalty because a Hà Tĩnh player let the ball touch his hand inside the penalty area. From the 11-meter spot Xuân Son shot coldly defeating goalkeeper Thanh Tùng to open the scoring 1-0 for Nam Định.

29' No goal.

From a very open play on the left wing, Văn Vĩ broke free and delivered an awkward cross inside. Xuân Son unleashed a decisive shot but Hà Tĩnh's goalkeeper made a miraculous save.

25' Not in

Trung Nguyên unleashed a powerful left-footed shot inside the penalty area but Nguyên Mạnh flew to make a miraculous save for Nam Định.

19' Goal not recognized

Xuân Son put the ball into Hà Tĩnh's net, but the referee after consulting VAR denied the goal for the Nam Định forward.

17' Seeking a goal

The two teams are playing quite slowly and have not created any notable situations towards each other's goal.

6} Taking proactive initiative

Nam Định quickly controlled the game situation and created attacking moves towards Hà Tĩnh's goal, but no dangerous opportunities have appeared yet.

1' Match begins

Nam Định starting lineup:

Hà Tĩnh starting lineup:

Where to watch Hà Tĩnh vs Nam Định live?

• Match time: 18:00 on April 5, 2026
• Match venue:Hà Tĩnh Stadium
• Competition: V.League 2025/26
• Live channel:F PT Play

Analysis Hà Tĩnh vs Nam Định: A battle of two extremes

Although both stand in the mid-table area of V.League 2025/26, Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh and Nam Định enter this confrontation with completely opposite mentalities. The Hồng mountain team had a relatively favorable first half of the season, creating a safe distance from the bottom group. This helps coach Nguyễn Công Mạnh and his players compete with quite relaxed psychology for the remainder of the season.

Not only reducing relegation pressure, Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh has even early planned for the future, including transfer plans to upgrade the squad. Stability in playstyle and spirit not burdened by results makes this team a difficult opponent to defeat, especially when playing at home.

On the opposite side, Nam Định is in a situation where they must accelerate. A start not as expected has left the Nam city team only in 7th place and trailing the top team Hanoi Police by 20 points. The gap with the top 4 group is also not small, forcing coach Vũ Hồng Việt and his players to treat every remaining match as a final.

After two consecutive championship seasons, Nam Định clearly does not want to end the season with a mid-table position. Pressure from results and expectations from fans require this team to exert maximum effort in every round if they want to improve their ranking.

A rare positive point is the timely return of forward Nguyễn Xuân Son. After shining in the Vietnam national team jersey and continuing to score at club level, this striker is bringing great inspiration to Nam Định's attack. This will be the basis for the visitors to confidently aim for a positive result at Hà Tĩnh's field.

Expected lineup Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh vs Nam Định

• Hà Tĩnh: Nguyên Mạnh, Tấn Tài, Duy Thường, Văn Hạnh, Viết Triều, Sỹ Hoàng, Đức Việt, Onoja, Trọng Hoàng, Atshimene, Viktor Lê
• Nam Định: Nguyên Mạnh, Văn Kiên, Thanh Hào, Kevin Phạm Ba, Văn Vĩ, Văn Vũ, Hoàng Anh, Caio Cesar, Văn Đạt, Akolo, Xuân Son.