On the evening of August 15, Hanoi Police and The Cong Viettel held each other to a score of 1-1 at Hang Day Stadium in the opening round of LPBank V.League 2025-2026. Lucao scored for The Cong Viettel in the 3rd minute, before Alan equalized in the 23rd minute.
Speaking after the match, coach Popov of The Cong Viettel said: "All opening matches are difficult, no matter who the opponent is. No team has achieved 100% performance in the first match. It takes 2-3 loops for everything to get into orbit. However, The Cong showed their best in this match, so I am satisfied with the results and the spirit of the players".
Regarding tactics, Mr. Popov shared: "I cannot say details, but today's tactics have been implemented well. There are still some mistakes, but that is part of football. In the end, the draw was reasonable. The Cong can do better in the coming time".
Commenting on the new force, the Bulgarian coach emphasized: "I am very satisfied with the new players. They need more time to adapt, but the quality of the players makes me feel secure. The team currently has better squad depth than last season".
On the other side of the front line, coach Alexandre Polking of Hanoi Police expressed regret. He expressed: "In the first half, we created many opportunities but could not score more goals. When the opponent increases pressure, the advantage is no longer maintained. In the second half, Hanoi Police still had 2 clear opportunities but could not take advantage. I feel sorry for the home team not being able to win 3 points".
Talking about the changes in the second half, Mr. Polking said: "Ding Trong was injured, Quang Vinh had to retire for personal reasons. I brought Van Do and Dinh Bac but they need more time to adapt. We will review the video to make adjustments more appropriately".
