Singapore, 18 February 2026 – Hanoi Police FC suffered a 1–3 defeat to Tampines Rovers in the second leg and were eliminated with a heavy 1–6 aggregate loss in the Round of 16 of the 2025–2026 AFC Champions League Two.
The Vietnamese side entered the return leg under immense pressure after their original 4–0 first-leg victory was overturned into a 0–3 forfeit by the AFC. The disciplinary decision came after Hanoi Police FC fielded Rogerio Alves and Stefan Mauk, both of whom were suspended due to accumulated yellow cards during the group stage. Coach Mano Polking acknowledged it as a “major mistake by the club,” but remained determined to fight back. However, he also expressed concern about the psychological impact on his players, noting that chasing multiple goals while trailing is far more difficult than starting from level terms.
Those concerns became reality at Jalan Besar Stadium. Despite dominating possession with nearly 75% control and completing almost four times as many passes as their opponents, Hanoi Police FC struggled to break through Tampines Rovers’ deep defensive setup. Their attacking moves lacked sharpness, and they were repeatedly exposed by quick counterattacks from the home side.
Tampines created an early warning in the 5th minute when Trent Buhagiar sprinted past Hugo Gomes and forced goalkeeper Nguyen Filip into action. Buhagiar recovered the rebound but missed a golden opportunity, shooting wide of an open goal.
After a frustrating first half, coach Polking introduced Nguyen Dinh Bac to strengthen the attack. However, before Hanoi Police FC could find momentum, they conceded in the 36th minute. Shah Shahiran delivered a cross from the left flank, and Hide Higashikawa rose to head the ball into the net, giving Tampines the lead.
In the second half, Hanoi Police FC continued to push forward aggressively. Le Van Do was brought on to add creativity, and the team created several promising chances. However, their efforts were disrupted in the 53rd minute when Leonardo Artur was sent off after a VAR review upgraded his yellow card to a red for striking an opponent in the face.
The situation worsened when Hanoi Police FC had a goal ruled out following another VAR intervention, which identified a foul by Rogerio Alves earlier in the build-up. Shortly after, Higashikawa scored his second goal of the match with a precise long-range strike, doubling Tampines’ advantage.
Hanoi Police FC managed to pull one goal back in the 77th minute when Alan Grafite converted a penalty, awarded after a VAR review confirmed a foul inside the box. However, Tampines quickly restored their two-goal lead just two minutes later, as Buhagiar broke through the defense and calmly finished to seal a 3–1 victory.
Ultimately, Hanoi Police FC were unable to overcome the consequences of their administrative error. The team struggled to maintain composure and could not produce the comeback they had hoped for, exiting the competition in disappointment. Meanwhile, Tampines Rovers advanced to the next round, relying on disciplined defending, effective counterattacks, and capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes.
The elimination leaves Hanoi Police FC with only the V.League 1 campaign remaining this season, after previously exiting the National Cup, the ASEAN club competition, and now the AFC Champions League Two. Vietnam also no longer has any representatives in the tournament, as Nam Dinh had already been eliminated in the group stage.
Leave a Reply