Waiting for Ho Chi Minh City Police Club to prove its strength

Ho Chi Minh City Police Club impressed with a convincing victory over Hanoi FC right at Thong Nhat Stadium on the opening day of V-League 2025-2026. With a dream start, Coach Le Huynh Duc's team was quickly considered a candidate for the championship this season.

Erase the "curse" of not winning in Hanoi?

The first match of the new season always has many unexpected factors and the result cannot accurately assess the strength of each team. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club needs another positive result when competing with strong opponent The Cong Viettel to prove its position as a candidate for the V-League championship.

When it was still called Thong Nhat Stadium, the team at Thong Nhat Stadium often had difficulty gaining points when playing in Hanoi. Statistics from last season's V-League show that Ho Chi Minh City FC only gained 1 point in 3 matches in the capital, including a draw with Cong An Ha Noi and losses to Ha Noi FC and The Cong Viettel.

Despite many improvements in recent times, the Ho Chi Minh City team has not been able to erase the "curse" of not winning in Hanoi since 2017. Recently, fans were elated to witness the excellent performance of Ho Chi Minh City Police against Hanoi FC. They expect coach Le Huynh Duc and his team to continue to maintain their high performance to get 3 points when playing at Hang Day Stadium, against the home team The Cong Viettel.

Chờ CLB Công an TP HCM chứng tỏ thực lực - Ảnh 1. — Will Ho Chi Minh City Police Club (middle) prove its strength through the results of round 2 of V-League 2025-2026? (Photo: HOANG TRIEU)

In the history of the last 5 matches between the two teams, The Cong Viettel won 2 matches and drew 2 matches against Cong An TP HCM. The Cong Viettel has also never lost when hosting Cong An TP HCM at home since 2007.

This season, the "soldier team" is also a candidate for the domestic championship when recruiting many young players with great ambition, experience and high professional level. On the opening day of V-League 2025-2026, The Cong Viettel almost won against Cong An Ha Noi and the 1-1 draw between the two capital teams was also considered to have high professional quality.

With the guidance of veteran Bulgarian strategist Velizar Popov, The Cong Viettel's playing style gradually became more cohesive and smooth. The lines coordinated smoothly, in harmony and achieved high efficiency when applying defensive counter-attack tactics.

Meanwhile, although there are not many stars in the squad, Ho Chi Minh City Police is a united team. The players quickly absorb the playing philosophy of the coaching staff and know how to change tactics appropriately, according to each stage and development of the match.

Defeating the famous opponent, Hanoi Club, also created excitement for Mr. Le Huynh Duc and his team before the away trip to the capital to face the home team The Cong Viettel.

Strength from defense

The victory on the opening day of V-League 2025-2026 of Ho Chi Minh City Police was largely due to the defense. The trio of central defenders Matheus Felipe, Khong Minh Gia Bao, Tran Hoang Phuc and goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang covered each other very well. The ability to read situations sensitively, come up with reasonable and timely blocking strategies of the defense helped Ho Chi Minh City Police Club neutralize most of the diverse "waves" of attacks from Hanoi Club.

In addition, the mobility of the two wingers Vo Huy Toan and Le Quang Hung not only helped coach Le Huynh Duc's team relieve pressure from the opponent but also increased their ability to support flank attacks. Quang Hung was the one who created for Tien Linh to score the opening goal, while Huy Toan passed the ball freely with his teammates on the left wing before finishing with a tricky shot to increase the score for the HCM City Police Club.

A solid defense is the premise for the front line to play with peace of mind and confidently complete the assigned tasks. The changes in the starting lineup of Ho Chi Minh City Police under coach Le Huynh Duc help the midfield control the ball more and proactively launch attacks from the home field. In particular, midfielders Duc Phu, Endrick, and Quoc Cuong play the role of "satellites" providing the ball for the attack, as well as supporting defense and intercepting from a distance.

Coach Le Huynh Duc commented: "The team added new players before the season but did not have enough time to get acquainted and practice together. If the lines coordinate better in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club will be a team that is difficult to defeat."