Hanoi FC Police regretfully collapsed at the Southeast Asian Club Cup
Despite playing resiliently and taking the lead twice, Hanoi Police FC still could not overcome Buriram United in the second leg of the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Cup final.
On the evening of May 21, at Chang Arena Stadium (Thailand), the second leg of the 2024/25 Southeast Asian Club Cup final between Buriram United and Hanoi Police FC took place.
With the score tied 2-2 in the first leg, both teams knew that just one mistake could cost them their championship dream. The heavy rain made the pitch slippery, seemingly stifling their inspiration to play, but no, in that situation, the brave spirit of both teams ignited an unforgettable match.
The Vietnamese representative entered the match with determination. In the 15th minute, after a pre-programmed combination, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh coolly finished to open the score, leaving the home team's stands speechless.
Before Buriram could even recover, they suffered another fatal blow: Hugo Gomes was fouled in the penalty area and Leo Artur made no mistake from the penalty spot. The first half ended with a 2-0 advantage for Hanoi Police, a result that was hard to believe in a dream.
However, football is a game of constantly changing emotions. In the second half, Buriram rose strongly, focusing all their efforts on the attack. In the 83rd minute, Peter Zulj narrowed the gap. And then, in the last minute of injury time (90+8), Lucas Crispim pushed the match into extra time with a shot that burned Nguyen Filip's net. In the final moments of the second half, the referee's controversial decisions made Vietnamese fans even more regretful and indignant.
The two teams entered extra time with a thrilling chase. Bissoli put Buriram ahead 3-2 from the 11m mark. But just when it seemed like everything was over, Alan jumped high to head the match back to the starting line 3-3, and then everything was decided in the fateful penalty shootout.
Although goalkeeper Nguyen Filip played brilliantly with two saves, on the other side, three consecutive missed shots by Quang Vinh, Hugo Gomes and Bui Hoang Viet Anh caused everything to collapse. The penalty shootout score of 3-2 in favor of Buriram ended the inspiring journey of Hanoi Police in the tournament.
The final match was not only a top-notch competition but also a testament to the mettle and desire of Vietnamese football to reach regional level. Although they did not win the cup, the Hanoi Police players fought with all they had: courage, team spirit and national pride./.