Coach Kiatisuk wins his debut match at Hanoi Police Club

Hanoi coach Kiatisuk Senamuang and his students defeated Ho Chi Minh City Club 2-0 in round 9 of V-League on the evening of February 18.

Coach Kiatisuk struggled while leading HAGL, having to wait until round 8 to get a win, and with the mountain town team at the bottom of the table.

But after being approved by Mr. Duc to move to lead CAHN on loan, the Thai coach immediately changed his fortunes.

Coach Kiatisuk in the match CAHN won 2-0 against TP HCM at Hang Day Stadium on February 18. Photo: Lam Thoa — Coach Kiatisuk in the match CAHN won 2-0 against TP HCM at Hang Day Stadium on February 18. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

Unlike his predecessor Gong Oh-kyun, coach Kiatisuk did not use young players but trusted in established stars, such as goalkeeper Filip Nguyen, center back Bui Hoang Viet Anh, two full backs Vu Van Thanh, Ho Tan Tai, midfielders Le Pham Thanh Long, Nguyen Quang Hai and two foreign players Jeferson Elias and Gieovane Magno. With the strongest lineup, CAHN dominated right from the start.

In the first half, the ball almost only rolled on the HCM City field. The pressure created by the home team was concretized in the 24th minute when Jeferson Elias chose a precise position, headed the ball past goalkeeper Pham Huu Nghia to open the score. Four minutes later, they doubled the gap when Tan Tai and Van Thanh coordinated well, destroying the left wing of HCM City, then passed the ball to Gieovane to comfortably tap in close range to score.

The duo Elias and Gieovane scored together to help CAHN win in round 9 of the V-League. Photo: Lam Thoa — The duo Elias and Gieovane scored together to help CAHN win in round 9 of the V-League. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

The gap was almost widened in the 45th minute. Elias got the ball when Van Thanh was in an unmarked position, but the CAHN foreign player clumsily passed the ball and missed the chance. Out of regret, Van Thanh got angry, threw his shin, and blamed his teammates.

In the extra minute, CAHN scored the third time against TP HCM when Gieovane swerved the ball past the opposing defender and skillfully shot into the far corner. However, after consulting VAR, the referee canceled the goal because he thought the home team's foreign player was offside.

With nothing left to lose, Ho Chi Minh City pushed up their attack in the second half. The away team improved, starting to organize some good attacks, creating scoring opportunities. But the foreign duo Cheick and Ntep were unlucky, continuously finishing with poor accuracy, sending the ball straight into the position of goalkeeper Filip Nguyen.

HCM City's foreign player Timite Cheick (red shirt) was silent against the CAHN defense. Photo: Lam Thoa — HCM City's foreign player Timite Cheick (red shirt) was "silent" against CAHN's defense. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

The 2-0 score remained until the end of the match, helping coach Kiatisuk win on his debut day as CAHN. The defending V-League champion rose to 5th place with 15 points, seven points behind leader Nam Dinh. In round 10, coach Kiatisuk and CAHN continued to play at home, hosting Thanh Hoa.