Viet Nam U19 hold Coventry City

Viet Nam U19 tied with Coventry City U19 1-1 in the third friendly match in the UK yesterday.

Vu Van Thanh opened the score for Viet Nam in the 10th minute. However, the hosts levelled the score 16 minutes later.

As planned, Viet Nam will meet Tottenham U19 on March 18 and Wolverhampton U19 on March 20 before going to Belgium, the next leg of their European tour.

In their first friendly match, Viet Nam beat Arsenal 3-0 and tied with Wimbledon U19 2-2 in the second match.

TSN take a step closer to defending nat'l title

Thai Son Nam (TSN) yesterday needed a penalty shootout to overcome tough rivals Sanna Khanh Hoa following a 4-4 draw in regular time, and are now just one game away from defending their title at the National Futsal Championship.

Ly Khanh Hung was the only TSN player to miss his penalty, while Khanh Hoa's captain Mai Thanh Dat rattled the crossbar and Nguyen Tan Phupenalty was turned away by goalkeeper Ngo Dinh Thuan.

The match was a repeat of the last year's final which TSN won 2-0 to lift the trophy, but this was a much tougher affair for a new-look TSN.

Hung, Phung Trong Luan and Tran Van Vu scored for TSN in the first half while Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Pham Khac Chi and Nguyen Trung Nam put Khanh Hoa level before half-time.

The match continued at a breathtaking pace in the second half with both teams going forward in search of the winning goal

TSN took the advantage through a seemingly harmless long range shot that goalkeeper Nguyen Xuan Duc somehow managed to let slip through his fingers and into the goal.

Khanh Hoa intensified their attacks after conceding the goal, but TSN remained dangerous on the counter-attack and nearly extended their lead.

Khanh Hoa's efforts paid off on the 31st minute when Nguyen Nho raced down the left and squared the ball in front of the goal. Thuan managed to parry the ball out but lurking Phu was waiting to pounce.

TSN will face Sannatech Khanh Hoa in the final tomorrow.

Players called up for Davis Cup

The Viet Nam Tennis Federation (VTF) has called up six players to prepare for the play-off match against Sri Lanka in the Davis Cup qualifiers for the Asia/Oceania zone Group II.

Players under coach Michael Baoroch will train until early next month in HCM City and Da Lat.

The matches will be held from April 4-6 at the Military Convalescent Home 198 in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province.

The winners will stay in Group II while the loser will be relegated to Group III for next year's competition.

"The VTF is determined to win this tie, and we have called up our strongest team for this important event," said Nguyen Quoc Ky, deputy chairman of the VTF.

Sri Lanka have been competing in Group II since 2012 and are currently 10 places above Viet Nam at 62 in the world rankings.

The two sides have met before three times, with Sri Lanka emerging victorious on each occasion.

Gymnasts set for int'l comp

Five Vietnamese gymnasts will compete in the men's and women's events in the FIG World Challenge Cup 2014, to be held in Doha, Qatar, from March 26-28.

They are Phan Thi Ha Thanh, Do Thi Van Anh, Dinh Phuong Thanh, Pham Phuoc Hung and Nguyen Tuan Dat.

At the same competition last year, Thanh had won the gold medal in the women's vault and Le Thanh Phuong grabbed silver in the men's vault.

The three-day competition will attract 35 female and 99 male gymnasts from 30 countries and territories such as the US, Germany, Japan, Berlarus, Slovenia and China.

German gymnast Marcel Nguyen has also confirmed his participation at the event. Born to a German mother and a Vietnamese father, he won two silver medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

That dominates seventh stage

Nguyen Thi That of Vinh Binh-An Giang Rice triumphed on the seventh stage of the Binh Duong International Women's Cycling Open yesterday.

She overcame Jutatip Maneephan of Thailand to take the 108km stage from Phan Thiet City to Dat Do District in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in a time of 2:51.37.

Her win helped her to retain the yellow jersey for best overall time and the green jersey in the sprint competition.

Today, cyclists will compete on the last stage from Ba Ria City to Thu Dau Mot City in Binh Duong Province.

Women keen to fulfil Cup dream

The national women's football squad have convened to prepare for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2014 finals where they have a chance of winning a berth to compete at the World Cup 2015 in Canada.

Chinese coach Chen Yun Fat has called up three new players for his 25-member squad – Pham Thi Tuoi of Phong Phu Ha Nam, Tran Thi Thuy Trang of HCM City and Khong Thi Hang of Viet Nam Coal and Mineral.

The rest of the team features familiar faces including Dang Thi Kieu Trinh of HCM City, Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh of Ha Noi 1, Nguyen Thi Nga of Ha Noi 2 and Le Thi Thuong of Viet Nam Coal and Mineral.

The coach has also included experienced fullback Chuong Thi Kieu of HCM City who played outstandingly in the first leg of the National Women's Football Championships.

According to Ngo Le Bang, general secretary of the Viet Nam Football Federation, the federation would spend VND12 billion (US$571,000) on training the players for the event.

The team will undergo physical training in Tam Dao District in Vinh Phuc Province and in Da Lat City in Lam Dong Province from March 13-28.

After that, the team will attend a 12 day training course at the Youth Football Training Centre in Ha Noi before practising in China from April 11-25 and South Korea from April 26-May 8 where they will play friendly matches against local teams.

Viet Nam are aiming to finish fifth at the Asian event which is scheduled to take place in HCM City from May 14–25 in order to qualify for the World Cup in 2015.

Viet Nam's rivals in Group A are Japan, Australia and Jordan. Group B consists of South Korea, China, Thailand and Myanmar.