After kickstarting September with three wins in as many matches, the Lion City Sailors face arguably their toughest challenge of the month yet, when they take on V.League 1 powerhouses Công An Hà Nội (CAHN) FC away at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium on Thursday (26 September) in Matchday Two of the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup.
A CAHN outfit littered with talent
Having qualified for this tournament as the 2023 V.League 1 champions, CAHN has several established Vietnamese national players in the ranks.
Nguyễn Quang Hải – who used to ply his trade in France’s Ligue 2 with Pau FC – is undoubtedly their biggest star, but they also boast the likes of experienced full-back Vũ Văn Thanh, Czech-born goalkeeper Filip Nguyễn, and reliable forward Phan Văn Đức. 
These players are backed up by a complement of quality foreigners brought in during the off-season, such as Brazilian attacking trio Vitao, Leo Arthur, and Alan Grafite, as well as half-Vietnamese full-back Jason Quang-Vinh Pendant.
CAHN’s quality was on show on Matchday 1 of the ACC Shopee Cup, as they stunned pre-tournament favourites Buriram United 2-1 on a rain-soaked night at Hàng Đẫy.
However, CAHN has since lost the services of Grafite – who was the second-highest scorer in the 2023/24 V.League 1 season, and who netted a goal and assisted another against Buriram – due to a long-term injury sustained a couple of weeks before the start of the new domestic season.
Nonetheless, CAHN Head Coach Mano Pölking is confident that his team has the quality to compensate for Grafite’s absence.
“As you know, we’re missing an important player in Alan,” Pölking said. “He scored many goals for us during pre-season, and also last season with his former club. We’re now working on solutions, but I believe it’s just a matter of time. We have quality players, and we can create chances. Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll convert those chances into goals.”
Pölking’s insider knowledge
In Pölking, CAHN has a tactician who knows Singaporean players well from his tenure as Thailand’s national team Head Coach between 2021 to 2023. During that time, he faced Singapore twice – most recently in a 3-1 win over the Lions at Singapore’s National Stadium last November.
Song Uiyoung teed up Shawal Anuar – two of seven Sailors who featured that night – for the Lions’ only goal of that game. The other Sailors who played in that game included captain Hariss Harun, Lionel Tan, Anumanthan Kumar, and Christopher van Huizen.
Pölking believes his knowledge of Singaporean players could work to his advantage.
“I know the Sailors’ players well, and some of them have also played in the Thai League like Izwan Mahbud. They’re experienced and have participated in many international games,” said the 48-year-old Brazilian, who took charge as CAHN head coach on a two-year contract in June.
“Hariss Harun, for example, is a legend – a good player and a good guy. I hope this familiarity helps with my analysis of the team. It’s advantageous to play against players you’re familiar with, so I hope we can find a good strategy.
“The Sailors are a strong team… accustomed to dominating their league and winning, which brings confidence and fosters a positive dressing room atmosphere – both of which are crucial in football.
“However, I believe in our team’s ability to compete with them. We’ve already analysed their strengths and identified areas where we can exploit opportunities. With our fans here to support us, I’m confident we’ll see a great game between two strong teams.”
While Pölking enjoyed a dream start to life at CAHN by beating Buriram in his first competitive match in charge of the club, he has struggled to get his team purring in their first two V.League 1 matches of the new season.
They were held to a 1-1 draw by Hải Phòng on Matchday 1 – conceding a heartbreaking 94th-minute equaliser – and fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Đông Á Thanh Hóa this past weekend, as they continue to wait for a first domestic win of the season.
However, Pölking insists it’s still too early in the season to make any definitive judgements about his team.
“We’re not satisfied with just one point from two games. We need to analyse our performance and identify areas for improvement. But it’s too soon to call this a bad start. I hope that tomorrow we can build on a solid performance in the competition, which will boost our confidence.”
A Sailors side in buoyant mood
With the Sailors falling to a 3-0 away loss to Borneo FC Samarinda on Matchday One of the Shopee Cup, they will be eager to get their first points of the tournament against CAHN.
While a star-studded CAHN side prove a stern challenge, the Sailors have been buoyed by their recent performances and results, with back-to-back Singapore Premier League (SPL) victories over Tanjong Pagar United and Balestier Khalsa sandwiching a stunning 2-0 triumph over China’s Zhejiang Professional in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two.
Ranko has urged his team to maintain their winning momentum against CAHN.
“The target is always to get the three points,” he declared. “We dropped points in the first game against Borneo, but we were a bit unlucky as we played with 10 men. Now, if we want to progress in this competition, we have to get a result here.
“We know it won’t be easy. They play a very direct style, and they have a lot of quality players, many from abroad. If I compare them to the other teams in the group, they might be our toughest opponent, especially in their style of play. So it’s going to be a tough match, but we’ll give our all to get a result. They also come into this strong from their last match in the Shopee Cup, but we’re ready for the challenge.”
Sailors goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, who has started the last nine games in all competitions, added, “It’s always tough playing away, but if we stick to the plan — we’ve trained hard, and we’ve had some good results recently, including in the ACL Two. We just need to carry that momentum forward, and hopefully, tomorrow will be a good game for us.”
