Cong An Ha Noi concluded their Group B campaign in the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship with a flawless record, securing a thrilling 3-2 victory over Indonesia’s Borneo FC Samarinda at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on Thursday.
The match saw Habibi Jusuf cancel out Le Van Do’s early goal for the hosts just before halftime, while Nguyen Dinh Bac restored CAHN’s lead in the second half, only for Gavin Kwan to equalize with four minutes left. However, Leo Artur’s stoppage-time penalty sealed the win for the Vietnamese side, who finished the group stage with a perfect five wins from five matches. Borneo, on the other hand, ended their campaign in fourth place with six points, failing to progress further.
CAHN will now face fellow Indonesian side PSM Makassar, the Group A runners-up, in the semi-finals next month, while the other semi-final will be an all-Thai affair between Buriram United and BG Pathum United.
Having already sealed qualification into the semifinal back in late January, CAHN had the luxury of resting their big guns as the likes of Nguyen Quang Hai, Tran Dinh Trong, Filip Nguyen, Vu Van Thanh, and Artur only making it to the bench, while the likes of Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Doan Van Hau did not make it into the matchday squad at all.
The game started brightly for CAHN, with Van Do scoring his fourth goal of the tournament in the 20th minute. A poor defensive header by Christophe Nduwarugira fell to Phan Van Duc, who swiftly set up Van Do. The forward unleashed a left-footed strike from outside the box, beating Borneo goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata to give the hosts an early lead.
CAHN maintained their dominance, creating several chances to extend their lead. In the 33rd minute, Van Duc broke through the Borneo defense but was denied by Nadeo. Nine minutes later, his low drive from close range was again thwarted by an excellent save from the Indonesian keeper. Despite their efforts, CAHN failed to capitalize further.
Borneo struggled to make an impact in the first half, failing to register a single shot on target. However, in first-half stoppage time, a costly error by CAHN center-back Giap Tuan Duong gifted the visitors an equalizer. His blind backpass was intercepted by Habibi, who slotted the ball home to level the score at 1-1.
CAHN appealed for a penalty after Leo Guntara appeared to challenge Dinh Bac inside the box, but the referee waved play on, and the teams headed into halftime on equal terms.
The second half began cautiously, with both sides hesitant to commit too many players forward. Borneo came closest to breaking the deadlock 20 minutes in when Berguinho’s low shot narrowly missed the far corner.
Sensing the need to preserve their perfect record, CAHN increased their intensity in the final quarter of the match. In the 76th minute, Artur tested Nadeo with a powerful strike from the edge of the box. Just five minutes later, the home side reclaimed the lead. Artur threaded a precise pass to Dinh Bac inside the box, and his shot took a slight deflection off Borneo defender Ronaldo Rodrigues, looping over Nadeo to make it 2-1.
Borneo responded swiftly and found an equalizer in the 85th minute. Ronaldo kept the ball in play near the byline after Gabriel Furtado’s initial attempt was saved by Sy Huy Do. He then set up Ikhsan Zikrak, whose shot was redirected into the net by substitute Gavin, restoring parity at 2-2.
The decisive moment came just minutes later when Nduwarugira brought down Hugo Gomes inside the box, leaving the referee with no choice but to award a penalty. Artur stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick in stoppage time, sealing a 3-2 victory for CAHN and sealing their flawless run in the group stage.