All big spending teams enjoyed victory in the sixth round of the national premier league over the weekend.

At home, Vicem Hai Phong pocketed their first win of the season in a 3-1 game against Khatoco Khanh Hoa at Lach Tray Stadium.

The win not only released Coach Le Thuy Hai and his players from heavy pressure after a five game non-winning streak, but also pushed Hai Phong out of bottom place.

With five points, Hai Phong are now at 12th position and will play defending champions Song Lam Nghe An.

The champions returned to their title defence journey by beating Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-0 on Saturday.

It was their first victory on home turf, which lifted them to sixth place on 10 points, only three points behind the group leaders.

During the match all foreigner Song Lam Nghe An players performed at their peak with Hector H. Kerin scoring just two minutes after the starting whistle while Captain Nguyen Trong Hoang proved his talent with a goal in extra time.

Top team Ha Noi T&T lost 0-2 to former champions SHB Da Nang at Chi Lang Stadium yesterday.

They could only maintain the balance in the first half of the match before giving in to the hosts whose strikers Nicolche Klechkaroski and Merlo S.Gaston netted the ball at the 60th and 78th minutes, respectively.

Da Nang therefore narrowed its gap with T&T to two points and ranked third. Their next rival will be Ha Noi FC at the capital's Hang Day Stadium.

Ha Noi yesterday came from behind to defeat Dong Thap 2-1. Three-time Golden Ball winner Le Cong Vinh scored his first goal of the season to level the score for Ha Noi at the 62nd minute.

Vinh's free kick went past goalie Ngoc Buu who tried his best, but could not stop the ball.

Eight minutes later Nigerian Anjembe Timothy, who received a perfect pass from Vinh, scored the second goal for the team.

Earlier Felix Gbenge Ajala opened the scorig for Dong Thap at the 25th.

Sai Gon FC are one of only two teams who have not lost after six rounds.

Yesterday's 1-1 draw with Thanh Hoa made their first visit to the top-flight tournament more impressive.

With three wins and three draws, Sai Gon showed great performance thanks to good understanding and a combination between local and foreign players under Coach Lu Dinh Tuan.

The team now stands second.

Two-time winner Becamex Binh Duong also grabbed a win yesterday, beating Navibank Sai Gon 1-0.

With three points, they are in the top five with ten points. They will play T&T next weekend.

The last match of the round saw a goalless draw between Ninh Binh and Kien Giang.

Ninh Binh were expected to pass T&T on the ranking table if they won yesterday due to the current group leader's loss. However, despite many opportunities, neither striker could net the ball.

They will have another chance to do so this Sunday when they face T&T on home turf.

Source: VNS