Nam defeated at Cambodian tennis tournament

Vietnamese Ly Hoang Nam was stopped in the first round of the International Tennis Federation Cambodia F1 Futures, by No 3 Kim Cheong-eui of South Korea yesterday, Nov 23.

Kim, who is world No 459, defeated Nam, who is nearly 600 steps behind, 5-7, 6-3, 1-6.

Earlier Nam's teammates Trinh Linh Giang and Nguyen Tuan Anh also failed.

Giang was defeated 6-2, 3-6, 2-6 to Hsin Lin of Chinese Taipei while Anh lost 0-6, 1-6 to Hiroki Horikiri of Japan in the qualifying round.

Nam will continue with two other events in Cambodia starting later this week.

Myanmar must win to advance

It is a must-win situation for Myanmar in today's match against Hoang Anh Gia Lai for them to enter the semi-finals of the International U-21 Football Tournament in HCM City.

International U-21 Football Tournament

Both sides lost their first match in Group B to the South Korean U-19 team, who is this year's title favourite.

They do not have any point yet but Hoang Anh Gia Lai stand higher in the ranking due to the goal difference.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai just need a draw to go on, while Myanmar's coach Eric Williams has asked his players to go for a win over the defending champions.

He said his young players have a few days of training and some friendlies ahead of the tournament, but they performed pretty well.

A 0-2 loss to South Korea was unexpected and it pushed his team in difficulty when playing with Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the last group round match.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai not only had strong fan support but also more rest than Myanmar, Williams said, but his players would try their best to win.

Myanmar is home to two players who took part in the recent World U-20 Cup, while Htike Aung and Shine Thu Ya are their raising stars.

Watching Hoang Anh Gia Lai's 0-1 loss to South Korea, Williams saw the local team's pros and cons.

He said the team had a good combination and understanding but their low speed and poor physique limited their attacking power.

The Australian appreciated three Hoang Anh Gia Lai players, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Luong Xuan Truong and Nguyen Tuan Anh, who are all the nation's most loved footballers.

On the other side, coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan welcomed back midfielder Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, who is ready to play after being replaced early in the last match because of an injury.

Duy, whose nickname is ‘Flash of Lightning' is expected to strengthen Viet Nam's attacks from two wings, according to coach Tuan.

Tuan said, "It is not true that there is no pressure on my team ahead of the decisive match, but I am confident of my team's chances."

Tuan admitted that his defenders' lack of focus and poor finishing skills were the main reasons for their loss to South Korea.

These were two issues that Tuan and his assistants tried to correct in the last two days.

The match is at 6pm and will be aired live on VTV6 channel. Earlier in Group A, Viet Nam, who qualified for the next round, will play Singapore. The winners will top the group.

Tai wins Nam Ky Khoi Nghia cycling event

Nguyen Truong Tai won the yellow jersey of the Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Cycling Tournament yesterday, Nov 23.

Nguyen Thanh Tam of Loc Troi Group took the final stage, with a timing of 4hr 34.21min for the 189km distance from Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province to Hoc Mon District, HCM City.

Tran Nguyen Duy Nhan of Military Zone 7 and Nguyen Duong Ho Vu of VTV Can Tho came second and third, respectively.

Tai of VUS-TP.HCM topped the seven-stage tournament with a total time of 24:29.11.

He was followed by Tran Nguyen Minh Tri of Domesco Dong Thap 2 and Nguyen Hoang Sang of ADC-Vinh Long Television.

"It is great that this is the second title I have grabbed since I competed for VUS-HCM City early this year. It is not only my personal title but also of my teammate, especially Mai Nguyen Hung, who strongly supported me during the event," said Tai.

Le Van Duan of VUS-HCM City 1 took the green jersey for the best cyclist with 55 points.

Military Zone 7's Huynh Thanh Tung was the best young rider while King of Mountain was Le Ngoc Son of Domesco Dong Thap 1.

Domesco Dong Thap 1 topped the team ranking, ADC-Vinh Long Television was second and VUS-HCM City 1 was third.