Công An Hà Nội FC coach Mano Pölking hailed the performance of his much-changed side in their 6-1 ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ win over Tampines Rovers FC on Wednesday but warned his players against complacency in the future.
The win was the V.League 1 side’s most comprehensive in Group A of the 2025/26 Shopee Cup™ although the three points secured were not enough to stop last season’s runners-up from exiting the competition.
But with the teams due to face off again in the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League Two next week, the tactician sounded a note of caution to his team ahead of their upcoming meeting with the Singapore Premier League outfit.
“We played a very good game, especially with many players who are not playing regularly,” said Pölking. “They showed today that we have quality in the squad.
“But if we make the mistake of thinking that next week will be the same, then we will have a big problem. Next week is a totally different game. Forget about this result – it means nothing, zero. Both teams were already eliminated today, so it is not the same situation.
“If we make that mistake, we are out. Next week is a completely different story. We rested eight players today – seven plus one who was injured at the last minute. This result brings us nothing.
“We are not happy with our final position in the group. We are only happy with the performance of some players today, but this game gives us zero for the next match.”
Công An Hà Nội battled back from going behind to a goal from Trent Buhagiar to claim the three points with Hugo Gomes, Lê Văn Đô, Phan Văn Đức and Vitão all on target before a late double from Alan Grafite.
Tampines Rovers had gone into the game with an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds and assistant coach Robert Eziakor adopted a positive response to the performance despite the heaviness of the defeat.
“I think this is a very important point in the season,” he said. “Collectively, we need everyone in the team to step up, and tonight showed that the group is coming together. Everyone around the team is contributing, and that is a positive sign for us moving forward.”
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