The alarming form of Tiến Linh ahead of national team duty

Forward Nguyễn Tiến Linh is enduring a run of 11 straight games without a goal from club level to the Vietnam national team, causing significant worry prior to the next training camp.

Forward Nguyễn Tiến Linh is going through a period of worrying form as he again failed to score in the match between HCMC Police Club and HAGL in round 15 of V.League 2025/26. The draw in Pleiku marked the 11th consecutive time the 1997-born striker could not "fire" in official matches, counting from club to national team level.

Against HAGL, Tiến Linh remained an active and energetic name on the attacking line of the Saigon team. However, this forward lacked sharpness in his final finishing touches. Throughout the match, he had several notable chances but could not convert them into goals, thereby extending his disappointing goal drought.

Specifically in this season's V.League, Tiến Linh has had 9 consecutive matches without scoring. Adding his two most recent matches for the Vietnam national team, his "dry" streak has reached 11 matches. This is a worrying statistic for a player expected to play a key attacking role for both HCMC Police Club and the national team.

Sharing about his student's form, coach Lê Huỳnh Đức believes Tiến Linh is under great pressure from scoring expectations. The head coach of HCMC Police Club revealed the coaching staff is trying to help this forward relieve psychological stress, encouraging him to play simpler to gradually regain his feel for the ball and confidence facing the opponent's goal.

In reality, Tiến Linh had a fairly impressive start this season by scoring a goal to help HCMC Police Club defeat Hanoi 2-1. However, from that point until now, the 1997-born striker has continuously missed opportunities in many important matches. His most recent goal in V.League was scored against SLNA on September 27, 2025.

After more than 5 months without scoring, pressure is increasingly weighing on Tiến Linh, especially as the Vietnam national team is about to enter a new training camp. If he does not quickly rediscover his inherent goal-scoring instinct, this forward could completely face the risk of losing his familiar position in the attack line of the "Golden Star Warriors".