After a series of 4 consecutive wins, Coach Popov made a surprising statement.

Coach Popov expressed satisfaction as The Cong Viettel defeated Hai Phong 1-0, extending their streak of 4 consecutive victories in the V.League.

The 1-0 victory over Hai Phong in round 16 of the V.League 2025/26 helped The Cong Viettel continue their impressive form under Coach Velizar Popov. After the match, the Bulgarian strategist expressed his satisfaction with his players' competitive spirit and tactical discipline.

At the start of the press conference, Coach Popov praised the entire team for securing an important victory and extending their winning streak. “First, I want to commend the players. The whole team performed very well today. Excellent tactical discipline, good spirit, solid mentality, and sensible movement. This is an important victory. We learn from mistakes and always strive to improve week by week, match by match. This is the fourth consecutive win since I took charge of the team, and we need to maintain this momentum.”

When asked about the team not scoring in the first half, Coach Popov stated that effectiveness is the most important thing. “For me, it doesn’t matter whether we score in the first half or the second half. Since I began coaching The Cong Viettel, the team has scored in 25 consecutive matches. This is truly remarkable, because Vietnamese football is very defensive and tough. Today's match wasn't just about the first half; the entire game was highly tactical. Hai Phong is one of the teams whose style of play I really admire, so we had to play with extreme discipline and wait for our opportunity. I knew we would have chances, and we capitalized on them.”

The only goal of the match was scored by Lucao, but Coach Popov emphasized that this was the result of collective effort. “Lucao is merely the one who completed the team's effort. This isn't an individual sport like tennis; it's a sport of 11 people. For the ball to reach Lucao's feet, it means the other 10 players performed their duties very well. In modern football, more than ever, this is a team sport, not a solo performance. But of course, forwards like Lucao can make the difference with a decisive shot or a header to decide the match.”

Despite having an impressive winning streak, Coach Popov stated that The Cong Viettel is focused only on each upcoming match rather than thinking further ahead. “We are not thinking about anything other than the next match. Throughout the season, CAHN Club deserves to be at the top of the table. If the league ended today, they would deserve to be champions. But Vietnamese football changes very quickly. Therefore, the current gap means nothing. Our goal is to try to win each upcoming match,” the Bulgarian strategist expressed.