The defending champions, SHB Da Nang, missed a golden opportunity to go top of the V-league when they suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat to 9^th in the table Dong Nai at the Dong Nai Stadium yesterday afternoon.

SHB DN competed in this match with their strongest possible squad, including midfielders Minh Phuong, Nguyen Sa and Quoc Anh, defenders Hung Son, Tan Dien and Duc Le, and striker Merlo.

Minh Phuong opened the scoring for the visiting team in the 32^th minute with a free kick from the left wing.  Two minutes later, striker Victor levelled the game with his powerful shot which beat SHB DN’s goalkeeper Thanh Binh.

SHB DN lose 1-4 to Dong Nai

However, SHB DN had to play all the second half with only 10 men after midfielder Minh Phuong was given a red card in first-half stoppage time for throwing a punch to the face of Dong Nai’s Dang Van Thanh.

Taking advantage of this, Dong Nai made continuous and varied attacks.  Then, in the 61^st minute, midfielder Ngoc Quoc sent a powerful header directly into the goal to give Dong Nai the lead.  SHB DN's loose defence provided Dong Nai’s Dinh Hiep and Huu Thang with the opportunities to score in the 79^th and 88^th minutes, giving the home team a convincing 4-1 win.

From the result, it looks unlikely that SHB DN will be able to protect their status as champions, although they still have 6 games to play.  Despite their mid-table position, Dong Nai have not been beaten by SHB DN this season, which is a concern because the two teams meet again on 7 August in the semi-finals of the VN Cup. 

The next V-League match for SHB DN is at 4.30pm on Sunday at home to 8^th position Ninh Binh.  A win is vital if they are to seriously challenge for the top.