Russian foreign player departs from two-time V-League champion club

Russian foreign player Ivan Khleborodov has officially left Long An FC in the middle of the 2025/26 First Division season, having netted merely 1 goal in 7 appearances, which did not fulfill the offensive expectations placed upon him.

Russian foreign player Ivan Khleborodov has officially bid farewell to Long An FC before the conclusion of the first half of the 2025/26 National First Division. The decision was made during the mid-season transfer window, following a period where this striker failed to meet expectations both in terms of skill and goal-scoring output.

Ivan Vyacheslavovich Khleborodov joined the club based at Tân An Stadium in late September 2025 and made his debut in round 2 during a victory over Đồng Tháp. However, that was one of the rare highlights in the Russian striker's journey. For many months afterward, he struggled to adapt to the new football environment and left little impact in the attacking third.

It wasn't until the 7th match, during an away game against Bắc Ninh, that Khleborodov scored his first goal in a 1-2 defeat for Long An. In total, the striker born in 1999 managed just 1 goal in 7 outings. This figure was deemed too low for a foreign player in the center-forward position, especially given the team's pressing need for goals.

In reality, Long An is going through a challenging period. After 10 matches, the team under coach Nguyễn Ngọc Linh has only 8 points, placing them in the bottom three of the table. They have scored only 6 goals while conceding 13, with a -7 goal difference clearly reflecting inefficiency in both attack and defense. Although they are still 5 points ahead of bottom-placed Thanh Niên TP.HCM, the overall performance of this Western region team has not provided much reassurance.

Under pressure for results, the coaching staff and Technical Director Nguyễn Văn Sỹ decided to replace the team's only foreign player. The chosen replacement is Brazilian forward Thoni Brandao Moura. The player, born in 1999, stands 1.91m tall, is right-footed, and has previously played for Central FC (Brazil), FC Besa (Albania), and Desportivo Lara (Venezuela).

Moura's arrival is expected to provide a boost to Long An's attack for the remainder of the season. He is likely to make his debut in the match against Xuân Thiện Phú Thọ on March 6th. The early departure of Khleborodov demonstrates Long An's readiness to adjust its personnel to improve the situation, in an effort to escape the danger zone in the 2025/26 First Division.