Ho Chi Minh City Police win the 2026 National Cup.

By defeating hosts Ninh Binh 2-1 in the final on the evening of June 14th, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club won the National Cup for the third time.

*Goals: Geovane 73' - Utzig 16', Lee Williams 34'

After finishing only 5th in the V-League, Ho Chi Minh City Police are determined to win the LPBank Securities National Cup 2025-2026. Under the interim leadership of coach Phung Thanh Phuong, the Southern team plays pragmatic football, with patient defense and sharp counter-attacks.

After causing a shock with a 4-2 victory away at Nam Dinh in the semi-finals, Ho Chi Minh City Police continued their impressive performance when playing away against Ninh Binh . Despite facing immense pressure in the first 15 minutes, Ho Chi Minh City Police held firm thanks to their numerous defenders and the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Patrick Le Giang.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police team (in white shirts) defeated Ninh Binh 2-1 in the 2025-2026 National Cup final at Ninh Binh Stadium on the evening of June 14th. Photo: Uyen Vien

In the 16th minute, the turning point came. From a corner kick, striker Schorr Utzig headed the ball into the net past Dang Van Lam, opening the scoring for Ho Chi Minh City Police. Utzig, originally from Brazil, previously played for mid-level teams such as Gabala FK, Chungnam Asan FC, and Zira FK. He joined Ho Chi Minh City Police in May 2025. This striker was the one who opened the scoring in the semi-final against Nam Dinh.

Since Thanh Phuong took over as interim coach in May, Nguyen Tien Linh has frequently been on the bench. However, since then, the Ho Chi Minh City Police team's attack has been explosive, going undefeated in five V-League matches. In the National Cup, they scored six goals in just two games. Besides Utzig, other Vietnamese-born players like Khoa Ngo, Lee Williams, and Endrick have all performed effectively.

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In the 34th minute, from a quick counter-attack, Utzig threaded a pass to Lee Williams, who broke the offside trap, dribbled past goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, and shot into the empty net to make it 2-0. Lee Williams is only 19 years old, born in Manchester, UK, with an English father and a Vietnamese-Chinese mother. He is 1.88m tall and plays as a center forward or attacking midfielder. Before coming to Vietnam, Lee came through the Stockport County youth academy and previously played for The Cong. At Ho Chi Minh City FC, he played 17 matches in the V-League, scoring six goals and providing two assists. In the National Cup, he scored two goals in two matches.

Vietnamese-American striker Lee Williams celebrates his goal that put Ho Chi Minh City Police FC 2-0 ahead of Ninh Binh in the 2025-2026 National Cup final at Ninh Binh Stadium on the evening of June 14th. Photo: Uyen Vien

Despite it being the final, Ninh Binh surprisingly left naturalized players Geovane (Nguyen Tai Loc) and Gustavo on the bench. After the home team fell behind by two goals, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem had to bring the aforementioned duo onto the field.

Despite continuing to press the visiting team, Ninh Binh's attack failed to capitalize on opportunities. Captain Nguyen Hoang Duc had several chances to shoot from close range, but goalkeeper Patrick Le Giang blocked them all with his feet.

It wasn't until the 71st minute that the home team managed to pull one back. Gustavo's header hit the post and then rebounded, causing a Ho Chi Minh City Police defender to commit a foul, giving Ninh Binh a penalty. From the penalty spot, Geovane easily deceived Dang Van Lam and shot into the right corner, reducing the score to 1-2.

The coaching staff and players of Ho Chi Minh City Police celebrate winning the 2025-2026 National Cup.

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In the remaining minutes, Ninh Binh launched a relentless attack, but their finishing was hasty and inaccurate. In contrast, Ho Chi Minh City Police played scientifically , and could have even won by a larger margin if they had been more precise in their finishing. By securing the 2-1 victory, Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team helped Ho Chi Minh City Police win the National Cup for the third time, following their wins in 1998 and 2000-2001.

This title grants the Ho Chi Minh City representative a ticket to the Super Cup match against Hanoi Police (V-League champions) and to participate in the ASEAN Club Championship 2026-2027.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/the-thao/cong-an-tp-hcm-doat-cup-quoc-gia-2026-569169