Vietnam’s Công An Hà Nội FC will compete for the ultimate prize in the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ final, in a two-legged showdown with Thailand’s Buriram United on 14 and 21 May.
As the clock ticks towards next week’s first leg of the final, ASEAN United FC takes a look at how Công An made it all the way to the summit clash.
Group Stage
Competing in their first-ever competitive international club tournament, the 2023 V.League 1 champions got off to a dream start as they beat Buriram United 2-1 in Hanoi — with the exact same fixture to be repeated in the final.
Next up for Alexandre Polking’s Công An in Group B was Singapore’s Lion City Sailors, who have gone on to reach the AFC Champions League Two final, but Công An once again stormed to victory with a 5-0 scoreline as Leo Artur netted a treble.
Kaya FC-Iloilo put up a good fight in Công An's next challenge away in Manila, but ultimately two early goals in the first half proved enough to help them secure all three points. A trip to Kuala Lumpur was up next, with KL City FC going 2-1 up before Công An stormed back to win 3-2 thanks to Le Van Do’s 91st-minute winner.
And finally, a 91st-minute winning goal was once again needed against Indonesia’s Borneo FC Samarinda in the final group game with the 3-2 victory ensuring Công An finished the group stage as the only club with a 100% record.
Semi-Finals
Group A runners-up PSM Makassar stood between Công An and a place in the final as the Vietnamese side made life difficult for themselves in the first leg.
Alan Grafite’s penalty was saved by Reza Arya Pratama and it proved to be costly as Yuran Fernandes’ 80th-minute header gave PSM a 1-0 win in Parepare.
Despite not being able to breach the PSM backline in the opening 45 minutes of the second leg, centre-backs Hugo Gomes and Bui Hoang Viet Anh stepped up in the second half with crucial goals as Công An won 2-0 in front of a jubilant Hang Day crowd to setup a rematch with Buriram in the final.
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