Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức explains the reason behind the heavy defeat to Viettel

Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức thinks that the exhaustion of Ho Chi Minh City Police players at the end caused the significant 0-3 defeat to Viettel.

After an impressive start with a 2-1 victory over Hanoi FC in the first round of the V-League, Ho Chi Minh City Police were expected to continue their good form against another capital team, Viettel, in round two. However, the away match at Hang Day ended with a heavy 0-3 loss for Tien Linh and his teammates.

In the match, Ho Chi Minh City Police conceded an early goal after center-back Matheus Felipe made a mistake by handling the ball inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty at the 20th minute. Notably, he is currently the most expensive center-back in the V-League and was highly anticipated.

However, after the game, Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức showed sympathy for the Brazilian defender: "Today he was under a lot of pressure. The penalty situation was partly due to bad luck. Overall, he performed well within his capabilities."

The other two goals conceded by Ho Chi Minh City Police against Viettel came in the final minutes, when the defense showed signs of fatigue and lost concentration. Consecutive defensive errors caused the southern team to suffer a heavy defeat in their first away game of the 2025/2026 V-League season.

Regarding this, Coach Lê Huỳnh Đức stated: "When the players run out of stamina, the opponent easily controls the game. We chose a defensive style, but when in possession, the players lacked the energy to launch counterattacks. The forwards had few chances to approach the goal because the ball mostly stayed in our half.

We only arrived here 2-3 days before the match. The day before yesterday, a foreign player just joined, so fitness and integration were not yet guaranteed. Despite that, I still acknowledge the team's fighting spirit. They gave their best effort.

Actually, I think the players performed well today; the main issue remains stamina. In the opening match, I mentioned that as the game progressed, my players would tire. And today, that happened again."