Ho Chi Minh City Police won the 2025/26 National Cup after a dramatic victory in Ninh Binh.
By defeating Ninh Binh 2-1 on their home ground, Ho Chi Minh City Police officially clinched the National Cup title thanks to the brilliant performances of Utzig, Lee Williams, and the skillful hands of Patrik Le Giang.
The 2025/26 National Cup final concluded with an emotional match as Ho Chi Minh City Police defeated Ninh Binh 2-1. Through sharp counter-attacks and disciplined defense, Coach Phung Thanh Phuong's team successfully defended their lead and officially lifted the gold trophy on away ground.
Punishment from set pieces
Immediately after the opening whistle, Ninh Binh proactively pushed their formation forward in an attempt to score an early goal. However, the wasteful finishing of the home team's attackers cost them dearly. In just the first 10 minutes, Bao Toan and Nguyen Hoang Duc had consecutive one-on-one opportunities but could not overcome the excellent performance of goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang.
In the 16th minute, following a corner kick orchestrated by Vo Minh Trong, foreign player Utzig intelligently positioned himself, leaping high to deliver a powerful header that ripped through Dang Van Lam's net, opening the scoring for Ho Chi Minh City Police.
Double the lead with a textbook counter-attack.
The early goal allowed Ho Chi Minh City Police to confidently deploy their signature counter-attacking style of play. Conversely, Ninh Binh began to show impatience with many misplaced passes. In the 34th minute, Lee Williams used his excellent speed to sprint past the home team's defense and goalkeeper Van Lam before finishing into an empty net, increasing the score to 2-0.
Entering the second half, the Ninh Binh coaching staff made a substitution, bringing on striker Gustavo. The pressure intensified in front of the visitors' goal, but it was a brilliant performance from Patrik Le Giang. The Vietnamese-born goalkeeper repeatedly denied close-range shots from Gustavo and Hoang Duc.
The spirit of a champion
Hope flickered for Ninh Binh in the 74th minute when they were awarded a penalty after a mistake by Manh Cuong in the penalty area. From the penalty spot, Nguyen Tai Loc (Geovane) made no mistake to reduce the score to 1-2. However, that was all the home team could do.
In the final minutes, Ho Chi Minh City Police dropped deep, establishing a disciplined defensive block that completely ineffectively thwarted Ninh Binh's attacks. In fact, if Bui Ngoc Long had been more accurate in his one-on-one situation in injury time, the score could have been 3-1 in favor of the visitors.
The final whistle blew, confirming Ho Chi Minh City Police as the new champions of the 2025/26 National Cup. A well-deserved victory for the team's sound tactics and courageous fighting spirit.
Match statistics:
- Result:Ninh Binh 1-2 CA HCMC
- Goals:Geovane (74' - pen) | Utzig (16'), Lee Williams (34')
- Stadium:Ninh Binh