Viet Nam top Iran in Junior Davis Cup

Viet Nam beat Iran 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the Junior Davis Cup pre-qualifying round in in Kuching, Malaysia yesterday.

In other matches in the Asia and Oceania division, Syria defeated Lebanon 2-1, Kazakhstan beat out Saudia Arabia 2-1, while Pakistan bested Turkmenistan 2-1.

Viet Nam will meet Pakistan in the semi-finals today.

Sepak takraw team seeded second in Malaysia

Vietnam is the second seed in the ISTAF Super Series 2013-14 Finals in Malaysia.

It has been placed in group B along with Myanmar and the Republic of Korea.

According to the draw made by the Malaysia Sepak Takraw Federation on February 25, Thailand is seeded No 1 and Malaysia No 3. This was the order of the top three teams at the event last year’s event.

Group A comprises Thailand, Indonesia and China, while Group C includes Malaysia, Japan and India.

The event, which will take place between March 5 and 8, will see the participation of 13 men's and nine women's squads from Asia and Europe.

Can Tho to host U21 football tournaments

The finals of the 2014 Thanh Nien (Young People) Newspaper U21 Football Tournament and the Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Football Tournament will be held in the southern province of Can Tho.

The national event will take place from September 5 to October 5, with the other tourney to be organised on October 11-21.

This year's international competition is expected to attract the participation of Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

The events are being hosted by Thanh Nien Newspaper in co-operation with the Viet Nam Football Federation, with the aim of improving youth football in Viet Nam.

Hai Phong scramble last gasp win to ease pressure on coach

Tran Van Hoc struck a winning goal in the second minute of four-minute stoppage time to hand Hai Phong a 2-1 win over SHB Da Nang. It was their first win in three matches and eased increasing pressure on coach Dylan Kerr.

It was a surprising reward for the Englishman and his players given that the match seemed to be destined for a 1-1 draw, with Lucas Goncaves opening the scoring 10 minutes after the kick-off and Mamic Bojan equalising in the 32nd minute. The hosts were on the defensive until the last minute of regular time.

The win not only temporarily pushes Hai Phong to fifth place with nine points, but also gives Kerr some relief after two successive losses. This led to a considerable decline in fans at Hai Phong Stadium.

For SHB Da Nang, whose attacking and goal-scoring ability was seriously limited by the absence of key striker Gaston Merlo, the loss puts them in sixth place and raises doubts about their title credentials this season.

At Vinh Stadium, Song Lam Nghe An also ended their losing streak with a 1-0 win over bottom-side Hung Vuong An Giang. Striker Biayaga Paul Emile scored the only goal of the match in the early minutes.

Nghe An now rise to the fourth place, while newly-promoted An Giang, who have yet to win, face the prospect of returning to First Division after one season in top-flight football.

In the most anticipated match of yesterday, Hoang Anh Gia Lai was held at home to a 1-1 draw by Becamex Binh Duong, who went in front through Huynh Kesley Alves just four minutes after the restart following a lacklustre first half.

At the 68th minute, young striker Le Hoang Thien salvaged one point for the home team with a free kick with a portion of luck. Thien's shot hit the back of the Dang Van Robert stand and changed direction before flying into the net. The goalkeeper, Nguyen Quoc Thien Esele, dived in the opposite direction.

Gia Lai had more ball for the rest of the match and created a few good opportunities, but all four strikers Luong Minh Trung, Thien, Tomothy and Felix failed to capitalise, sending their shots off target. 

VNA/VNS