After a shaky start to AFC Champions League Two, Macarthur FC opened their October with a statement win at home. Now they will look to clash at the top of the Group E table with an unexpected foe as they travel to Vietnam to face Công An Hà Nội (Thursday, 11.15 pm AEDT). Before it all unfolds in the nation’s capital, let’s review how these sides got here and what the Bulls can do to continue their ascent.
Macarthur break Beijing off
Losing to Tai Po in Hong Kong was the exact opposite of what Macarthur needed to start their ACL Two voyage. With Beijing Guoan, the pre-season favourites to top the group, up next, the Bulls returned to Campbelltown knowing that anything short of their best would derail the campaign early.
Fortunately, Macarthur got exactly the start they wanted. In the fourth minute, Harry Sawyer beat his man on the right side of the box and whipped the ball over to Chris Ikonomidis, who slotted it home from dead centre to give the Bulls the lead. It was a major milestone for the veteran forward, who finally had his first continental goal nearly ten years after making his professional debut for Lazio in the Europa League.
Beijing controlled most of the possession from that point on, forcing Filip Kurto to make a couple of saves in the first half. However, that was as threatening as the Imperial Guards got all night. Macarthur played their counter-attacking style to perfection, consistently doing more with the opportunities they had.
Macarthur FC’s Filip Kurto. (Photo by Texi Smith)
While Beijing spent the second half failing to record a single shot on target, Macarthur used that time to press the accelerator. In the 58th minute, an unexpected combination doubled the lead, as academy product Oliver Randazzo notched his first professional assist by finding defender Tomislav Uskok in the box, who simply tapped it in.
That scoreline looked set to stand, but as time wound down, Ikonomidis decided to return the favour. On a diagonal through ball, he found Croatian summer signing Šime Gržan, who cut inside for a better angle and fooled the keeper with a composed finish to score his first goal as a Bull.
With the 3–0 victory, Macarthur moved within a point of the Group E lead, and the fallout continued well after the final whistle. In a repeat of his exit from FC Barcelona, Beijing manager Quique Setién was dismissed after an unacceptable humiliation on the continental stage, leaving a massive question mark over his side’s future.
Meet Công An Hà Nội, Vietnam’s cup-winning cops
Công An Hà Nội, often translated as Hanoi Police, are making their AFC debut in this tournament, and it has arrived at the moment they are most prepared for it. Not only did they qualify by winning their first-ever National Cup last season, but they also assembled an impressive dry run in the ASEAN Club Championship, taking Thai juggernauts and ACL Elite regulars Buriram United all the way to penalties in the final. Their momentum has only built from there, as the Police won their first Vietnamese Super Cup, salvaged a road draw against Beijing in their ACL Two opener, then won comfortably against Tai Po to seize the Group E lead.
In attack, CAHN are one of many Asian clubs spearheaded by Brazilian forwards. In league play, Alan Grafite and Léo Artur have led the way, scoring six and five goals respectively. But the standout performer in ACL Two has been winger China, who rescued a point with a late goal against Beijing before netting a brace against Tai Po.
The most familiar face, however, is in midfield. Macarthur had one of their most memorable A-League matches last year against Adelaide United, winning 5–4 but conceding a goal and two assists to Stefan Mauk. Mauk is now two months into a year-long loan spell at Hanoi and will be eager to replicate that form. Between him, Brazilian central midfielder Vitão, and a wave of domestic standouts such as Lê Văn Ðô and team captain Nguyễn Quang Hải, the Police will have no shortage of quality in the middle of the park.
Finally, guarding keeper Nguyễn Filip’s back line, we find French-Vietnamese left-back Jason Quang-Vinh Pendant, best known for his three seasons with the New York Red Bulls, and French centre-back Leygley Adou. Both men were among the four CAHN representatives in last year’s V.League 1 Team of the Season, and they have lived up to their reputations so far in this campaign.
The keys to climbing the group ladder
If Macarthur are to leave Vietnam with something worthwhile, hydration will be the foundation. Humidity is often the great equaliser when A-League sides travel to face teams from weaker leagues, and it already hurt the Bulls against Tai Po. However much water and sports drink the training staff think the Bulls will need to combat the elements and perform at their best, they might as well bring twice that amount.
Regardless of how much of the ball Macarthur see, whether their possession percentage remains low or climbs into the dominant territory A-League sides usually enjoy against Southeast Asian clubs, the key will be how effectively they can maximise their own opportunities and minimise CAHN’s. Defensively, that means isolating the Brazilians, especially China, and forcing Hanoi to shoot through less dangerous attackers. Offensively, it will be about identifying the weakest wide defender and exploiting that flank to create chances, just as the Bulls did repeatedly against Beijing.
In the ideal outcome, the Bulls not only win but plant a few seeds of fear in Hanoi’s minds. These sides will meet again in two weeks at Campbelltown, and if the Bulls can inflict some psychological damage by beating Hanoi on home soil, the path through the second half of the group stage will be that much smoother.
