Coach HAGL comments on defeating Mr. Popov to secure their first win in the V-League.

Coach Lê Quang Trãi showed great happiness with HAGL’s initial win of the 2025/26 V-League campaign.

After 7 rounds and 6 consecutive matches without a win, "the Mountain Town" finally celebrated on the evening of October 26, when HAGL defeated the powerhouse Thể Công Viettel 2-1 at their home ground in Pleiku.

Knowing their strengths and weaknesses, Coach Lê Quang Trãi’s team played solid defense right from the opening whistle. The surprise came in the 24th minute with a beautiful counterattack; Vĩnh Nguyên crossed the ball for Jairo to leap and head the opening goal. In the second half, Ryan Ha added a second goal for the home team.

On the other side, although Thể Công Viettel dominated possession, their final shots lacked accuracy. It was not until the last minute that Lucao scored a consolation goal for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough for Coach Popov to break the winless streak against the Pleiku hosts.

After the match, Coach Lê Quang Trãi happily stated:"I am very pleased and happy with today’s victory. I want to thank all the players for their effort, hard work, and fighting spirit to earn these 3 points. We carefully assessed the opponent and prepared well for this match."

Regarding Đinh Quang Kiệt’s return to the field after a heavy collision, Coach Lê Quang Trãi revealed:"When Quang Kiệt asked to come back on, I was really worried because it was a serious head injury. However, he insisted he wanted to play and contribute. Later, I saw he was dizzy on the pitch, so I decided to substitute him."

With this win, HAGL temporarily moves out of the bottom position with 6 points, one point ahead of SHB Đà Nẵng. Coach Lê Quang Trãi affirmed this will be a big motivation for the team to work even harder:"This victory will boost our confidence and serve as a foundation to strive, improve, and climb the rankings in the upcoming rounds," Coach Lê Quang Trãi said.

Related articles

Unexpected reaction from Coach Popov after HAGL defeat Coach Popov expressed great disappointment at failing to break the losing and drawing streak against HAGL. At the post-match press conference, he only gave three brief answers. See more