In what was arguably their toughest 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup Group B fixture, the Lion City Sailors battled hard but still fell to a 5-0 defeat against V.League 1 powerhouses Công An Hà Nội (CAHN) FC in front of a 6,168-strong crowd at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium on Thursday (26 September) night.
It was the Sailors’ second consecutive defeat in the competition, following their loss to Borneo FC Samarinda in the opening fixture.
The loss leaves the Sailors’ hopes of progressing to the semi-finals of the Shopee Cup hanging by a thread, but Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković is not giving up just yet.
“We still have three games in the Shopee Cup, two of them at home next January,” Ranko said. “Yes, it’s going to be tough for us, especially as we’re competing on multiple fronts with a lean squad. But it’s important that we do not mourn over this defeat, and instead prepare for the future.”
Ranko understandably opted for the same starting eleven that impressed in the Sailors’ 2-0 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two win over China’s Zhejiang Professional a week ago. It seemed to pay off initially, as the Sailors moved the ball fluidly, stringing together precise and controlled passes in the early stages of the game.
Indeed, despite going up against a strong CAHN side headlined by top Vietnamese star Nguyễn Quang Hải and led by former Thailand national team coach Mano Pölking, the Sailors were actually the ones to create the first real chances of the game.
Maxime Lestienne curled wide after a solo run just three minutes in, while Lennart Thy narrowly hooked Hafiz Nor’s deep cross off-target seven minutes later.
CAHN’s main threat came from the flanks, with their speedy full-backs Jason Quang-Vinh Pendant and Vũ Văn Thanh pushing forward in attack. The Sailors maintained a compact defensive shape though, limiting space and producing several last-ditch blocks, with veterans Hariss Harun and Hafiz particularly standing out.
However, the Sailors’ brave resistance was broken in the 30th minute, when Văn Thanh snuck in behind the right channel before squaring the ball across goal for Brazilian forward Léo Artur to tap home.
The goal did not dampen the Sailors’ spirit, and they nearly equalised seven minutes later through Maxime, who exchanged passes with Bart Ramselaar before firing an effort from range that just failed to find the back of the net.
Despite their best efforts to stay in the game, the Sailors — playing their fourth match in just 13 days — eventually fell further behind in the second half.
On the hour mark, CAHN doubled their lead through Nguyễn Đình Bắc’s powerful strike, before they added a third goal four minutes later, as Lê Văn Đô converted a rebound from a half-cleared corner.
CAHN made it 4-0 in the 69th minute, with Artur firing home a stunning long-range shot past Izwan Mahbud in the Sailors goal.
That was the cue for Ranko to ring the changes, as he withdrew the likes of Maxime, Hami Syahin and Lennart Thy, no doubt with a view to resting them ahead of the top-of-the-table Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash against BG Tampines Rovers which will take place in less than 72 hours’ time on Sunday (29 September).
Five minutes from time, Artur put the icing on the cake for CAHN as he completed his hat-trick to secure a 5-0 win for his team.
Reflecting on the heavy defeat, Ranko identified CAHN’s second goal as the turning point in what had been a closer game than many had anticipated.
“I believe we conceded a couple of cheap and easy goals, particularly the second, third, and fourth,” he said. “We certainly didn’t expect this result. We were a bit unlucky; after the first goal, we played solidly, but once the second goal went in, we knew it would be an uphill battle.
“Honestly, I think we could have performed better on the ball, as there were plenty of spaces to exploit, but we couldn’t find them. Overall, CAHN played well as a team.”
The Sailors will turn their attention to the crunch SPL clash against BG Tampines on Sunday, before travelling to Thailand to face Port FC four days later (3 October) in the ACL Two.
