On the evening of August 28, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club had a minimal 1-0 victory over Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the third round of LPBank V.League 2025-2026.
Despite winning all 3 points, coach Le Huynh Duc's students still could not show their best faces when they missed a series of opportunities in the match.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mr. Duc said: "I feel satisfied. Today the players played very hard. In each match, the team has improved a little.
We are not prepared well, but we are improving with each match. This match has a more enhanced style of play, creating many opportunities but also missing quite a lot. Luckily, we won, if we had a draw it would be a pity.
In the first half, we had many opportunities and the players performed well. In a short time, it cannot be more demanded, but I have noted their daily progress".
Regarding the performance of captain striker Nguyen Tien Linh, coach Le Huynh Duc commented: "I play football like Tien Linh, and if I miss a lot, I will be disappointed. Playing football is like that, not always doing things to be happy with.
It depends on the field conditions, weather or mentality. I will try to help the players regain their form and feel better. Linh has only joined the team for 2 weeks, while foreign players have only played for 4-5 days. Can't ask them to do well in 1-2 weeks. However, in a short time, they have connected relatively well."
When asked about the performance of the players, especially the new foreign players, Mr. Duc cautiously commented: "It is not a rush, because my players have just arrived. Endrick has been involved for 2 seasons, but many other players know I have been out for 2 years, so there is not much time to watch.
The new foreign players are of good quality, but their physical strength is not guaranteed and they are not really in harmony. There is still a lot of work to do to help them connect better with each other".
On the other side of the front line, coach Le Quang Trai of Hoang Anh Gia Lai also expressed regret that the home team could not find a draw against Ho Chi Minh City Police.
He said: "I think the Ho Chi Minh City Police team played better in the first half. In the second half, we tried very hard to create opportunities but unfortunately could not win a draw.
After 3 matches, the team only has 1 point, so both the coaching staff and the players have to work harder, try their best and race against time. The upcoming break will be very valuable for the whole team to encourage each other to practice and compete better in the upcoming matches".
