Leaders Da Nang lost 2-3 to HCMC Club at the Thong Nhat Stadium while Le Cong Vinh scored all four goals for his team as T&T Hanoi beat Thanh Hoa 4-1 in V-League 17th round matches Sunday.

Ngu Chi Thang scored the opener for the home team just eight minutes into the match. Molina Eduardo equalized for the visitors with a penalty kick but defender John Wole’s header regained the lead for the home team before halftime.

The visitors continued to play badly in the second half and Jackson Nogueira scored the third goal for the home team just six minutes after halftime.

Da Nang then fought back hard but could only take back one goal as Rafael Marques headed home in the 73rd minute.

Despite the win, HCMC Club is still in the relegation zone, just above Thanh Hoa at the bottom.

Meanwhile, Da Nang’s 36 point tally keeps it nine points clear of Dong Thap and Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA), each with 27 points, after Dong Thap took a 1-0 home win over Khanh Hoa to climb to second from fourth position and SLNA slipped one place to third after suffering a 1-2 away defeat to The Cong in Hanoi.

In other matches, Hai Phong grabbed a 3-1 home win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai at the Lach Tray Stadium.

Brazilian 2002 World Cup winner Denilson, making his Vietnam debut, scored the opener from a free kick just two minutes into the match. But his injury still looked serious and he was replaced five minutes after halftime.

Dong Tam Long An beat Nam Dinh 1-0 at the Long An Stadium with Rodrigo Jorge Silva scoring halfway through the first half.

In an early match on Friday, defending champs Binh Duong beat the Fourth Military Zone 1-0 in an away encounter, but the former is still stuck in the middle of the table.

Reported by Thanh Nien staff