In the opening minutes, Hanoi Police entered the game cautiously despite playing at home. Coach Mano Polking's team gradually controlled the game but it was not until the middle of the first half that they created a difference.
In the 25th minute, from Leo Artur's long-range shot forcing goalkeeper Buhari to punch the ball out, Quang Hai appeared at the right time to rebound and open the score. Just two minutes later, the captain midfielder of Hanoi Police continued to make his mark with a skillful handling of eliminating the last defender of Tampines Rovers before finishing to increase the score to 2-0.
Two quick goals conceded made the Singaporean representative confused. In the 37th minute, Rogerio took advantage of the chaotic situation in the penalty area, finishing continuously to increase the score to 3-0 for Hanoi Police. The first half closed with a safe advantage for the home team.
In the second half, Tampines Rovers pushed up the squad to find an equalizer and also created some notable opportunities. In the 57th minute, Buhagiar escaped to a one-on-one situation but shot over the bar in front of Nguyen Filip's goal. However, the away team's attack showed a lack of sharpness in decisive situations.
Hanoi Police proactively slowed down, and at the same time gave opportunities to young players such as Dinh Bac, Van Do and Minh Phuc. Dinh Bac played actively on the right flank and almost scored with a long-range shot in the 81st minute.
The efforts of the U23 Vietnam striker were rewarded in the second minute of injury time. From Van Do's through ball, Dinh Bac maneuvered in the penalty area and then curled a technical shot to seal a 4-0 victory.
With this result, Hanoi Police has a great advantage before the second leg at Tampines Rovers' stadium on February 18, thereby opening up the opportunity to advance to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Two this season.
