The match against Hanoi in round 21 at Hang Day Stadium was only the second time Kevin Pham Ba (number 93) started after 5 matches since joining Nam Dinh in March. Coach Vu Hong Viet trusted the French player of Vietnamese origin to play in the starting lineup in the right-back position.

Kevin Pham Ba shined with a rebound in the 21st minute, putting Nam Dinh ahead in a tense match with Hanoi.

Kevin celebrates his first goal in his V.League career.

He held up three fingers to show his name, according to the Vietnamese pronunciation. Photo: Nam Dinh Club.

Head coach Vu Hong Viet was happy on the sidelines. He was right to start Kevin Pham Ba and this surprised Hanoi. Kevin's goal untied the knot and opened up a dream match with Nam Dinh.

Kevin was born in 1994 in France, is a new player of Nam Dinh in the mid-season transfer period. He is from the same Sochaux academy as Jason Pendant Quang Vinh.

Before Hanoi, the Vietnamese player had many excellent saves, marking and neutralizing most of Pham Tuan Hai's attacks.

Kevin attacked and defended regularly throughout the 90 minutes.

He contributed significantly to the high pressing game, causing many difficulties for Hanoi's midfield. Nam Dinh scored 2 more goals and settled the match in the first half with a score of 3-0.

In the last 10 minutes of the match, Kevin was pushed up to play as a striker and even had another chance to score but failed.

The 3 points gained against their direct competitor with only 5 rounds left in the tournament helped Nam Dinh get closer to their second V.League championship. After round 21, the team from Thanh Nam consolidated their top position with 42 points, 5 points more than the second-placed team, Hanoi.