Coach Mano Polking is confused when Hanoi Police do not...

Coach Mano Polking and Hanoi Police aim for the Shopee Cup 2024-2025 championship title. (Photo: Viet Anh/Vietnam+)

At 7:30 p.m. on May 14, the representative of Vietnamese football, Hanoi Police Club, will host Buriram United FC (Thailand) in the first leg final of the Southeast Asian Club Football Championship - Shopee Cup 2024-2025 at Hang Day Stadium (Hanoi).

Speaking at a press conference before the match, head coach Mano Polking of Hanoi Police expressed his dissatisfaction that his team was not allowed to play the second leg of the final at home, despite having a better record than their opponents in the group stage.

"Hanoi Police and Buriram had similar performances in the semi-finals, but in the group stage, we won against them and were the top team in Group B. Therefore, I asked the Organizing Committee why Hanoi Police were not allowed to play the second leg at home? Why in the most important match of the season, we - the team that performed better in the group stage when determining the position - had to play at the opponent's field in the second leg?," the Brazilian coach expressed his dissatisfaction at the press conference.

Evaluating the "rematch" with the Thai representative in the upcoming two final matches (in the group stage, Hanoi Police won 2-1 against Buriram), coach Mano Polking affirmed that the results of the group stage confrontation have no bearing on the match between the two teams tomorrow.

"Compared to the group stage, Buriram have made many changes in both form and players in the squad. Among them, Suphanat (Mueanta) is an excellent player and his absence (due to injury) is a loss for Buriram. However, they still have many excellent players in the squad, including Thai national team players as well as foreign players. Hopefully tomorrow will be an exciting match between two high-quality teams, and we hope the fans will continue to 'fuel' the team - like the way we were supported in the semi-final," coach Mano Polking shared.

Captain Quang Hai and his teammates are determined to gain an advantage before the second leg. (Photo: Viet Anh/Vietnam+)

Joining the press conference with head coach Mano Polking, captain Quang Hai said that the entire Hanoi Police team has completed the final preparations before entering the match at home and the players will try to gain an advantage right from the first leg of the final.

"This is not only a match between two teams but also a confrontation between Vietnamese and Thai football. The whole team wants to show a good performance and get a favorable result before traveling to Thailand," the captain of Hanoi Police shared.

On the away team's side, head coach Osmar Loss Vieira and captain Theerathon Bunmathan of Buriram also expressed their determination to win the championship in the Southeast Asian Club level.

"Tomorrow's match is completely different from the group stage match in which we lost to Cong An Ha Noi, but our goal remains the same, which is to win the championship. We understand the challenges in the next two matches, where the two teams may have to fight for 180 minutes," said coach Osmar Loss Vieira.

Buriram head coach Osmar Loss Vieira (right) and captain Theerathon Bunmathan attend a press conference before the first leg of the final. (Photo: Viet Anh/Vietnam+)

Meanwhile, captain Theerathon Bunmathan of the Thai team emphasized his impressive head-to-head record before the match with Hanoi Police.

"I congratulate Vietnamese football on your victory at the recent ASEAN Cup 2024. However, this is a different match, a different tournament. Especially, when I was wearing the Thai national team jersey, I rarely lost when facing the Vietnamese national team," the Thai star confidently declared.

The first leg of the final match of the ASEAN Club Football Championship - Shopee Cup 2024-2025 between host Hanoi Police and away team Buriram United will take place at Hang Day Stadium at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, May 14./.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/hlv-mano-polking-kho-hieu-khi-cong-an-ha-noi-khong-duoc-da-luot-ve-tren-san-nha-252691.html