Despite playing with a man down, Hanoi Police Club still defeated Ho Chi Minh City Police Club: The championship race is heating up.

Hanoi FC defeated Ho Chi Minh City Police FC 1-0 in the late match of V-League Round 8 (7:15 PM on October 27), thus moving up to second place.

CAHN Club received a red card and... scored a goal.

The match against the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club is considered a tough challenge for the Hanoi Police Club (Hanoi Police Club).

Because coach Alexandre Polking's team had just played a strenuous match against Macarthur in the AFC Champions League 2 midweek, they only had 4 days to rest and recover. CAHN Club also played 5 more matches than their opponent since the beginning of the season, in a context where many key players such as Quang Hai, Nguyen Filip... have had inconsistent performances due to injuries.

CAHN Club (in red jerseys) faces a challenge from Ho Chi Minh City Police Club.

PHOTO: MINH TU

Difficulties arose early for CAHN FC in their match against Ho Chi Minh City Police FC (on the evening of October 27th), when Van Do was sent off in the 20th minute for a foul. Referee Le Vu Linh issued a red card to Van Do but upheld the decision after consulting VAR.

However, CAHN FC still possessed a superior playing style and adaptability compared to Ho Chi Minh City Police FC. Playing with ten men, Polking's players prioritized defense, but still managed effective counter-attacks thanks to sharp attacking players like Quang Hai and Alan Grafite. In the 35th minute, Alan demonstrated the class of last season's best player, making a run to receive a long pass from a teammate, outmuscling both center-back Gia Bao and goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang of the visiting team before decisively shooting with his left foot into the empty net, opening the scoring for CAHN FC.

Conversely, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club created opportunities, the clearest of which was when foreign player Makrillos had a chance to shoot in the 15th minute, but was blocked by Van Do who rushed back to intercept.

Alan Grafite scored against Ho Chi Minh City Police FC after dribbling past both the center-back and the goalkeeper.

PHOTO: MINH TU

After Van Do received a red card, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC pressed forward against Hanoi Police FC, but their coordination was disjointed, leading to their defense being easily neutralized.

Equal match

After the break, coach Le Huynh Duc instructed Ho Chi Minh City Police FC to apply more pressure, especially on the flanks, to create opportunities for crosses into the box for Makrillos and Tien Linh.

However, CAHN Club was still the more incisive team. Without needing to possess the ball much, Coach Polking's players still launched quick attacks with smooth and fluid passing sequences thanks to the synchronized movement of their team.

In the 51st minute, Thanh Long threaded a pass to Quang Hai, who broke free on the left flank before the 1997-born midfielder delivered a perfect cross for Alan Grafite. However, the CAHN club's foreign player hesitated, missing the opportunity to increase the score to 2-0.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Club lacks attacking ideas.

PHOTO: MINH TU

In the following minutes, the carelessness of the Ho Chi Minh City Police FC defense repeatedly opened opportunities for Quang Hai and Alan Grafite to control the ball right near Patrik Le Giang's goal. Unfortunately, the home team's indecisive handling in crucial situations caused the opportunity to slip away.

Ho Chi Minh City Police FC put pressure on their opponents in the last 20 minutes of the second half, especially when Hanoi Police FC substituted both Quang Hai and Alan off the field to focus on defense.

Given the advantage of possession by their opponents, Coach Le Huynh Duc's team launched more incisive attacks. In the 75th minute, Van Toan broke through to face the goalkeeper, but at the crucial moment, Adou Minh made a precise tackle, saving CAHN Club from conceding a goal.

Coach Polking has led CAHN FC to remain undefeated after 7 matches in the V-League.

PHOTO: MINH TU

In the 84th minute, it was Quoc Gia's turn to create an opportunity. The midfielder from Ho Chi Minh City Police FC tried his luck with a long-range shot, but the ball went just wide of the post.

The best chance for Ho Chi Minh City Police FC came in the 90+1 minute, when Van Toan delivered a precise left-footed pass to Tien Linh, who broke the offside trap and headed the ball. However, the ball still missed the target.

Wasting opportunities during their rare moments of good play, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC ultimately lost 0-1. Coach Le Huynh Duc's team finished fifth with 14 points.

Meanwhile, CAHN Club moved up to second place with 17 points, just 3 points behind league leaders Ninh Binh . And let's not forget, CAHN Club still has one game in hand.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/da-thieu-nguoi-clb-cahn-van-thang-clb-cong-an-tphcm-dua-vo-dich-rat-nong-185251027201127528.htm