Glory has come back to the central province Nghe An after ten years as club Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) wins the championship title at the Vietnam’s top-tier V-League this season.
Song Lam Nghe An players celebrate their championship title of the 2011 V-League season Photo: Tuoi Tre
At the final, 26th round yesterday, SLNA held defending champion Hanoi T&T to a 1-1 draw to stand atop the ranking table with 49 points -- three more than runner-up Hanoi T&T.
Right after the closing whistle of referee, SLNA coach Nguyen Huu Thang rushed to the field with open arms and held his players for celebration. It reminded of the image ten years ago when SLNA crowned V-League title in 2001 also with the contribution of Huu Thang who was then a defender.
SHB Da Nang won the bronze medal with 44 points.
At the other side of the table, Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) step down to the First Division next season though they found a 2-1 win over Thanh Hoa in the last round. DTLA stand below Hai Phong, each with 30 points, due to head-to-head loss.
The other ticket of demotion belonged to Hanoi ACB.
Saigon Xuan Thanh and Kien Giang will rise from First Division to replace the two relegated sides at V-League 2012.
2011 V-League Final Standings:
Ranking Team Points Played F/A 1 Song Lam Nghe An 49 26 19 2 Hanoi T&T 46 26 20 3 Da Nang 44 26 17 4 Vissai Ninh Binh 39 26 2 5 Dong Thap 37 26 -6 6 Binh Duong 36 26 -2 7 Thanh Hoa 34 26 3 8 Navibank Saigon 34 26 -1 9 Hoang Anh Gia Lai 32 26 3 10 Hoa Phat Hanoi 32 26 -2 11 Khanh Hoa 32 26 -6 12 Hai Phong 30 26 -12 13 Dong Tam Long An 30 26 -13 14 Hanoi ACB 26 26 -22