V-League leaders Da Nang continued to waltz toward the title with a 2-1 away win over the Fourth Military Zone in the 18th round Sunday while relegation-threatened teams tried to avoid slipping down to First Division.

Van Quyen scored the opener for SLNA 13 minutes into the match, taking full advantage of a goof up between goalie Khoa Dien and central fullback Trung Tuan. However, Mario Romeo equalized the score for the home team just two minutes later.

Chi Thang made it 2-1 for the southern club 16 minutes after halftime. The visitors fought back fiercely, seeking an equalizer, but their attacks left their defense vulnerable and the home team got its third goal as Jackson Noguiera found the net.

Quyen scored his second goal of the match right before the final whistle to reduce the margin of their loss.

SLNA remain in third despite the defeat while it was an important win for HCMC Club, who jumped to 11th from last week’s 13th position, off the relegation zone.

Top-placed Da Nang, with 39 points continued to extend its already considerable lead. It is now 11 points ahead of second-placed Dong Thap, who drew 0-0 with Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) at Long An Stadium.

The Fourth Military Zone, meanwhile, continued to go downhill, registering their fifth consecutive loss since the beginning of the second half of the season. They are sitting just above the relegation zone in 12^th position.

Dong Thap retained its second spot while 2005-06 champs DTLA slipped one place to sixth.

In other matches, 2003-04 champs Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) lost 0-2 at home to T&T Hanoi at Pleiku Stadium. HAGL dropped two places to ninth while the capital club climbed three positions to eighth.

Bottom placed Thanh Hoa remain there despite a 2-0 home win over Khanh Hoa who fell three places to seventh. With 16 points, Thanh Hoa can still keep their hopes of avoiding relegation alive as they are four points adrift of Nam Dinh and only eight points away from Khanh Hoa, who are in the middle of the table.

In an away match, Nam Dinh lost 1- 3 to The Cong who climbed two places to fourth. Defending champs Binh Duong are now in fifth position after a 3-0 away win over Hai Phong, who slipped one place to 10th.

Reported by Thanh Nien Staff