Hanoi, May 13, 2025 – Hanoi Police FC will host Thailand’s Buriram United in the first leg of the 2024-2025 ASEAN Club Championship final at Hang Day Stadium on May 14 at 7:30 PM, per AFF schedules. Coach Mano Polking, eyeing the club’s first regional title, anticipates a tougher challenge than their 2-1 group-stage win over Buriram, per VFF reports.
Hanoi Police FC, who topped Group B with 13 points, previously edged Buriram (2nd, Group A) in Hanoi, thanks to Nguyen Quang Hai’s 71st-minute strike and Alan Sebastiao’s penalty, despite Buriram resting key players like Suphanat Muenta for the AFC Champions League and Thai League, per Sofascore. Polking, a former Thailand coach, cautioned: “This final is different. Buriram, despite missing Suphanat, have revamped their squad with depth and quality, led by Dion Cools and Curtis Good. They’re a formidable side, unlike our group-stage clash.”
Polking expressed frustration with the tournament’s format, which grants the Group A winner (or highest-ranked semifinalist) home advantage in the second leg. Hanoi Police FC, despite topping Group B, must play the decisive return leg on May 21 at Buriram’s 32,600-capacity Chang Arena, per AFF rules. “The group-stage leader should host the second leg,” Polking said, referencing their semifinal against PSM Makassar, where they played the first leg away (2-1 loss) and the second at home (3-0 win), per VnExpress. “I don’t understand why we lose the home-away advantage,” he added, echoing Hanoi FC’s 2023 AFC complaints.
Hanoi Police FC, unbeaten at Hang Day in this competition (three wins, 10 goals), rely on Sebastiao’s five goals and Nguyen Hoang Duc’s playmaking, mirroring The Cong Viettel’s precision, to counter Buriram’s 15-goal group-stage haul, per AFF stats. Buriram’s 4-0 semifinal rout of Johor Darul Ta’zim, driven by Goran Causic, underscores their threat, per Goal.com. A 15,000-strong Hanoi crowd, rivaling Nam Dinh FC’s Thien Truong, will back Polking’s 4-2-3-1.
The final, a rematch of Vietnam-Thailand rivalries like Ho Chi Minh City FC’s 2023 clashes, offers Hanoi Police FC a chance to end Vietnam’s 15-year regional club title drought, per Thanh Nien. A first-leg lead is crucial before facing Buriram’s home fortress, where Song Lam Nghe An-like resilience will be tested. Polking’s squad, bolstered by Hoang Anh Gia Lai-honed youngsters, aims to etch their name alongside Becamex Binh Duong’s 2009 AFC Cup semifinal run, chasing ASEAN glory and a $500,000 prize, per AFF.
Leave a Reply