Author Archives: tramnguyen

HAGL end Arsenal partnership

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Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC have officially ended their decade long partnership with English club Arsenal.

One of the main reasons for the cessation of the relationship was the fact that after ten years, there has yet to be one player from Vietnam making the cut to play for Arsenal at whatever level.

HAGL, V.League champions in 2003 and 2004, started their collaboration with Arsenal back in 2007, where they built the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Arsenal JMG Academy – the first-ever football training centre in Vietnam.

Vietnam, Jordan draw in Asian Cup 2019 qualifier

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Vietnam shared one point with Jordan at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2019’s qualifier after their goalless draw on June 13.

In the first half, Jordan took advantage of their superior physical strength to take control of the match and increased pressure on the Vietnamese side. However, Vietnam’s concentrated and solid defence left little chance for the opponents to produce any remarkable threats on goal.

In the second half, Jordan created two concrete scoring opportunities, however, failed to get past Vietnamese goalkeeper Van Lam.

Despite tremendous efforts made by both sides, neither was able to score any goals in the closing stages.

As a result, after two rounds, Vietnam has secured three points.

Vietnam was drawn in Group C for the qualification round with the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Afghanistan and Cambodia.

The two best teams from this group will join 12 others, including defending champions Australia, China, Iraq, Iran, Japan and the Republic of Korea, in the final round to be held from January 5 to February 1, 2019.

Returning Real Madrid players received as living ‘legends’

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Thousands of delirious Real Madrid fans poured onto the streets of the Spanish capital to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates on Sunday (Jun 4) as they paraded the Champions League trophy for a record 12th time.

Ronaldo sported a newly cropped haircut and he and captain Sergio Ramos led the traditional festivities for a major Real celebration as the players greeted local government dignitaries before parading the famous trophy in an open top bus around the Cibeles fountain in the city centre.

From there the squad headed to the club’s Santiago Bernabeu where a capacity 81,000 fans are expected for further celebrations, including a lights show and firework display.

Strict security measures were visible across the city in light of recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.

Ronaldo scored twice in Real’s 4-1 thrashing of Juventus in Cardiff on Saturday as the Spanish giants became the first side to retain the Champions League.

“The players have entered into the legend of Real Madrid and of football, as has our coach,” said club president Florentino Perez, as he reserved special praise for Zinedine Zidane.

The Frenchman, who himself won the Champions League as a legendary player for Real between 2001 and 2006, has enjoyed spectacular success since taking his first role in senior management just 18 months ago.

As well as winning back-to-back Champions Leagues, Madrid also beat Barcelona to La Liga two weeks ago to complete a first league and European Cup double for 59 years.

“He is the only one to win two consecutive Champions Leagues,” added Perez. “That is why he is already the best coach in the world.”

A third Champions League win in four years has drawn comparisons to the great Real side that won the first five editions of the European Cup between 1955 and 1960.

“I feel like this is the best team in history,” one fan Alvaro Mora, who had travelled over 500 kilometres from the southern city of Almeria to take in the celebrations, told AFP.

And like Real’s performance on the pitch at the Principality Stadium as they tore the Italian champions apart with goals from Casemiro and Marco Asensio adding to Ronaldo’s double, there was no sign of the Madrid fans’ tiring of success.

“It is the best thing that could happen,” said Colombian shop worker Jose Ordonez, 54, who took in the festivities with his two sons.

“We promised to return and we have returned as champions,” said Ramos as the squad visited the home of Madrid’s local government and the city hall. “I hope to return many more times and that we can celebrate many more titles.”

Source AFP

Vietnam stops in U20 World Cup group stage

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Vietnam had their FIFA U20 World Cup campaign ended on May 28 as they suffered a 0-2 loss to Honduras in the last Group E matchup, which placed them at bottom place in the group with just one point after three games.

Vietnam started the match with high determination, targeting a big win against Honduras to continue fostering hopes to advance into the knockout round through the narrow gate – becoming one of the four best third-placed teams.

The Southeast Asian team dominated possession in the opening minutes with a number of threats on the Honduras defensive line; however, Duc Chinh, Tien Linh and Thanh Binh were unable to take advantage of those opportunities to open the scoring.

Honduras kept pace with the match in the latter stage of the first half and produced some noticeable counterattacks on the field, including a strike off post by Darixon Vuelto in a face-to-face encounter with goalkeeper Tien Dung.

After the break, Vietnam’s weaker physical strength was fully exploited by the Central American team.

The Southeast Asian squad’s defensive wall could only withstand until the 76th minute when Sendel Cruz broke the deadlock for Honduras with a simple shot from close range.

With nothing to lose, Vietnam intensified attacks in the remainder of the game and came close to equalising the score following Quang Hai’s strike at post at the 85-minute mark.

Jorge Alvarez put the match to bed in favor of Honduras by adding a second goal three minutes into injury time.

With just one point after three games, Vietnam finished in bottom place in the Group E qualification and bid farewell to their FIFA U20 World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, France and Honduras advanced into the knockout stage as the group leaders and runners-up with nine and four points, respectively

France progress with 4-0 win over Việt Nam

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Great effort, huge determination and wonderful supporters could not save Việt Nam from a 0-4 loss to France in their second group round match at the FIFA World Cup U20 in South Korea on Thursday.

The European champions needed just 18 minutes to size up their Vietnamese opponents, before they got their opener from Marcus Thuram, son of former French defender and legend Lilian Thuram.

The eight-time winner should have drawn first blood within five minutes itself, but Jean-Kevin Augustin opted for an audacious ’Panenka’ style penalty after they were awarded a spot kick, which deflected off the bar.

Thuram took full advantage of his 1.90m to push in a header beating Vietnamese keeper Bùi Tiến Dũng.

Augustin scored a double before the break. Denis Poha added an elegant fourth after a rapid attack.

Being smaller and shorter than their French rivals, Việt Nam’s challenge became greater when Trần Đình Trọng received a second yellow card.

With a person short, the Southeast Asians assumed a defensive mode and managed to not concede a single goal until the end.

The second win helped France go through to the Round of 16, while Việt Nam must now beat Honduras in the last match on Sunday to progress to the next round.

“Việt Nam still have the chance to qualify for the knockout round,” said coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn at the post-match conference.

“France are too strong so our loss was understandable. However, I am not satisfied with the players. They lacked confidence and gave away two easy goals. The second half was better, and if they could do what that did near the end of the game, it would be a better situation for us,” Tuấn said.

“We will decide our fate in the upcoming match with Honduras,” he said.

Coach Ludovic Batelli of France said his team did not start well, having wasted a penalty, but he was happy with the result, as his team could play freely in their last match.

Compared with their two rivals, Batelli said Honduras players were faster and had stronger physique than the Vietnamese. It will be difficult for Viet Nam to go on if Honduras beat New Zealand in the later match.

Until now, France are the fifth team to qualify for the next round after two matches. Earlier, Venezuela, Zambia, Uruguay and hosts South Korea booked their slots

Vietnam secures first point at FIFA U20 World Cup

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Vietnam held New Zealand to a goalless draw in the FIFA U20 World Cup Group E opener on May 22, thereby maintaining their hopes to advance further in the world’s largest football event.

With the fanatical support of the crowd and overseas Vietnamese at Cheonan Stadium in the Republic of Korea, Vietnam played an overwhelming first half against the representative from Oceania.

The Southeast Asian team produced 11 finish attempts with five shots on target; but unluckily, none of them were cunning or powerful enough to be converted into a goal for coach Hoang Anh Tuan’s side.

After the break, New Zealand took advantage of their physical strength to reclaim control of the match and increased pressure on the Vietnamese side. However, Vietnam’s concentrated and solid defence left little chance for the opponents to produce any remarkable threats.

The most concrete scoring opportunity for New Zealand came from substitute Logan Rogerson’s close-range strike that failed to beat Vietnamese keeper Tien Dung.

Vietnam should have come away with the full three points as Hoang Duc struck over the crossbar with four minutes to play despite facing an empty net.

Vietnam and New Zealand will now join each other in second place of Group E with one point each, two points behind title favourites France, who made light work of Honduras with a 3-0 straight win.

Despite missing out on a victory, a draw could be considered an encouraging result for a World Cup debutant like Vietnam. In the remaining group matchups, Vietnam will play France on May 25 before competing against Honduras three days later.

HIGHLIGHT CLIP:

HFF

 

Vietnam U-22s trounced 5-nil by Argentina U-20s in My Dinh Stadium

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While Vietnamese football fans probably were not expecting their U-22 squad to beat Argentina U-20s, the performance of the hosts in Sunday’s friendly in Hanoi was underwhelming to say the least.

Argentina U-20s easily took their second win of a pre-tournament training camp in Vietnam ahead of the U-20 FIFA World Cup in South Korea, routing Vietnam’s under-22 side 5-0 at My Dinh Stadium.
The South Americans had previously beaten Vietnam U-20s 4-1 in another friendly in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.
Sunday night’s game was Argentina’s final warm-up before the World Cup and a chance for Vietnam’s coach Nguyen Huu Thang to look at his own men ahead of the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year.
Argentina coach Claudio Ubeda fielded his strongest team, who proved that they were of a much higher class than their hosts.
Colombatto Santiago scored Argentina’s opener with a classy 25m free kick, before the Argentines followed that up with four more goals in the 23rd, 45th, 65th and 82nd minutes.
Nguyen Huu Thang said he was unhappy with his team’s dispirited performance, while his Argentine counterpart said he had enjoyed the match with the U-22s more than the U-20s earlier in the week.

While the loss against the visiting South Americans was not a surprise, local supporters left the stadium frustrated by the lackluster performance of their team.
“Vietnam U-22s were weak in both attack and defense,” coach Doan Minh Xuong wrote in a piece sent to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
“The biggest concern is that the team lacked a quality striker, without whom they won’t achieve their aim of advancing to the men’s final at the SEA Games.”
Coach Xuong appeared pessimistic about the Games in Malaysia this August, also saying that the squad “lacked a leader who can motivate players when they’re down.”

After Sunday’s game, Argentina U-20s left Hanoi for South Korea, where they will continue to prepare for the tournament that begins later this week.
Vietnam U-20s, who will make the country’s first-ever World Cup appearance at any level, arrived in Seoul on Friday.
The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup will run from May 20 to June 11, with newcomers Vietnam sharing Group E with France, Honduras, and New Zealand.

Việt Nam U20 futsal team beat China in Thailand

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Việt Nam U20 futsal team defeated U20 China 5-1 in their friendly match in Thailand on Saturday.

 

U20 futsal Việt Nam vs U20 futsal Trung Quốc

The match was a warm-up for the knockout stage of the Asian Football Confederation U20 Futsal Championship, which will be held in Thailand on May 16-26 at the Bangkok Arena and the Huamark Indoor Stadium.

Earlier, in another friendly match, Việt Nam beat Uzbekistan 4-1.

Việt Nam are in Group B with Japan, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan and Indonesia in the championship. There are 16 other teams competing in three different groups. The group winners and runners-up from each group will qualify for the knockout stage — the quarterfinals.

U20 FUTSAL VIET NAM GOALS:

HFF

U20 VN tie with Vanuatu in friendly match

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U20 Việt Nam tied 1-1 with U20 Vanuatu in their friendly match on Sunday in South Korea. It was Việt Nam’s last friendly match before the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea .

Earlier, Việt Nam lost to U20 Argentina 1-4 in HCM City.

Việt Nam played with an active attack-defence playing style. However, Vanuata quicky opened the score in the fourth minute.

Việt Nam levelled the score of 1-1 in the 41st minute.

Việt Nam played better in the second half, with sharp attacks. However, they failed to convert their efforts into goals.

“We tested all positions in this game to prepare for the first match of the qualifying round of the Cup. Competing against a strange rival, our players didn’t play very confidently,” coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn said.

“After the break, Việt Nam showed their skills. Vanuatu have the same way of playing as U20 New Zealand. Therefore, after this match, we are better prepared for the opening match of the Cup,” Tuấn added.

Việt Nam are in Group E with France, Honduras and New Zealand. They will meet New Zealand on May 22, then face France on May 25, and Honduras on May 28

Images from the practise day:

Coal and Minerals beat HCM at national women’s football

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Việt Nam Coal and Minerals defeated defending champion HCM City 1 2-0 in the opener of the National Women’s Football Championship yesterday at the HCM City’s Thống Nhất Stadium.

Việt Nam Coal and Minerals (in blue) beat HCM City 1 2-0 in the first match of the National Women’s Football Championship on May 11.

HCM City, who won two of the last seasons in a row, are still considered the strongest among the eight participants.

Coach Đoàn Thị Kim Chi and her players, including many national team members, especially Golden Ball winner Huỳnh Như, have set a goal of winning a hattrick.

“Things are different this year, as Phong Phú Hà Nam and Hà Nội 1 have made some changes with a view to replacing us in the top position. However, we will play our best and work hard in every match to defend our title,” said Chi.

Their first rival, Việt Nam Coal and Minerals, ranked third last year.

The team hope to change their medal colour.

Some senior players have retired, but they have appointed the talented Thúy Hằng and Nguyễn Thị Vạn to lead the team.

 

Trần Thị Thu opened the score for Việt Nam Coal and Minerals just a few minutes into the first half.

Nguyễn Thị Vạn made it 2-0 near the end of the match in a one-two situation with goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh.

HCM City pushed up their speed, opened consecutive attacks but failed to break the visitors’ strong defence.

In the second match of the day, HCM City 2 and Sơn La, who were at the bottom of the ranking in 2016, will meet each other.

Hà Nội 1, who finished second after HCM City in the last two years, will meet with Hà Nội 2.

Phong Phú Hà Nam, under new coach Nguyễn Thế Cường, hope to beat TNG Thái Nguyên as their first step towards winning the championship for the first time

 

CLIP TP.HCM – TKSVN: 0-2