VN smash Australia in bid to advance to finals in Myanmar

Viet Nam yesterday won their place at next year's Asian Football Confederation Under-19 Championship in Myanmar.

The young Vietnamese team did their country proud in an emphatic 5-1 win against hotly-tipped Australia in their last qualification match at the Cheras Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The result was unexpected, with even Viet Nam's French coach Grachen Guillaume stating beforehand that Australia were the top candidates for the winning ticket in Group F, which also contained Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.

Ahead of the game, the Vietnamese players were asked to try their best and secure a result that would make them one of the group round's best second-placed teams, offering them an alternative path to the finals. In the end they did much better than that.

It took them only nine minutes to open the scoring, with striker Nguyen Cong Phuong receiving the ball from captain Nguyen Tuan Anh, breaking through the Australian defence and firing a low shot straight into the net.

Thanh Tung grabbed the second after poaching the ball from a hapless defender and striking a sumptuous shot past the keeper to make it 2-0.

With their confidence sky-high, Viet Nam launched wave after wave of attack, running rings around the young socceroos. Such was the skill and maturity on display, it was hard to believe that the majority of the Vietnamese players were no older than 17.

The shell-shocked Australian players resorted to long-ball tactics, but they were unable to make their height advantage count and barely troubled Viet Nam's Le Van Truong.

They were soon punished again for their lack of a cutting edge when Nguyen Van Toan locked onto a superb cross from Phuong unleashed a beautiful video-game volley into the corner of the net in the 44th minute.

Australian did manage to narrow the score on the stroke of half-time as Peter Skapetis found space in the box to pounce for a close-range finish.

If this was a glimmer of hope, it was soon extinguished.

Just 10 minutes after the break Phuong pocketed his seventh goal in what has been an extraordinarily prolific round of games for the rising star.

Le Van Son calmly converted a penalty in the 70th minute to bring the score to an almost unbelievable 5-1.

With nine points from three matches, Viet Nam secured their spot at the top the group, three ahead of their humbled opponents.

The Asian championship will be organised on October 5-22, 2014. The best four teams will then represent the continent at the 2015 World U20 Championship.

National tennis tourney opens in Hanoi

Eighty-three players from across the country are competing at the 2013 National Tennis Championships-Vietravel Cup, which opened in Hanoi on October 7.

Strong teams from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Binh Duong, the army and the host Hanoi will vie for medals in the men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories.

Outstanding players like Do Minh Quan, Le Quoc Khanh, Nguyen Hoang Thien, Vietravel Cup 2012 women’s singles champion Huynh Phuong Dai Trang and young talent Ly Hoang Nam are expected to compete fiercely in front of spectators.

For the first time, representatives from the Vitar tennis club of overseas Vietnamese in Russia will take part in the event.

The best athletes will be selected for the national team to compete in the Southeast Asia Tennis Championship in Myanmar this November.

The event will run until October 12.-

Sports competition brings OVs in China closer

Overseas Vietnamese students living in the Chinese capital Beijing participated in a week-long sports competition that ended on October 6.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Van Tho described the students as Vietnam’s next generation and urged them to practise in both mental power and physical strength.

The event demonstrated the solidarity and close links among the overseas Vietnamese community in China’s capital city, the ambassador said.

Nguyen Quang Minh, President of the Vietnam Students’ Association in Beijing, said over 300 athletes competed in football, track and field, table tennis, billiards, badminton and tennis.

The event offers an interesting and useful playground for Vietnamese students and an opportunity for them to exchange with their Chinese friends, he said.

Four Vietnamese chosen to referee at SEA Games

Vietnam has put forward four representatives to act as referees at football and futsal competitions during the coming 27th SEA Games in Myanmar from December 1-21.

SEA Games 27 organising board has requested those  countries involved in football and futsal events to send two male and two female referees to perform duties at each of the men’s and women’s events.

They are registered to take part in the events as official members of their squads.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) plans to send four referees namely Nguyen Duc Vu (men’s football), Cong Thi Dung (women’s football), Truong Quoc Dung (men’s futsal), and Hoang Duc Hieu (women’s futsal).

These representatives will be trained with the VFF and the Vietnam General Department for Sports and Physical Training to officially attend the region’s largest sporting event.

Badminton young athletes to compete at Asian champs

Vietnam will send five representatives to compete at the Badminton Asia Youth U17 and U15 2013 Championships starting on October 8 in Indonesia.

Nguyen Thi Tham, Nguyen Thuy Linh, Tran Truong Bao Vy and Nguyen Thi Phuong Ha will take part in the girls' singles event while Nguyen Binh Minh will participate in the boys' singles.

Tham and Minh then team up to play in the mixed doubles and the other four girls are to play in the girls' doubles event.

The finals are scheduled for October 13.

Karate fighter miss SEA Games

Asian Games champion Le Bich Phuong will miss a chance to defend her title at this December's 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.

Phuong, who is expected to do well at the Games, tore a ligament on her right knee during training at the weekend.

Doctors said the injury would keep the Military athlete away from the competition mat for months.

The absence of the 21-year-old will strongly affect Viet Nam's performance as Phuong not only takes part in the 55kg individual event, but also team events.

However, Viet Nam will welcome former world kata champion Nguyen Hoang Ngan and former SEA Games winner Vu Nguyet Anh return to competition after recovering from injury.

T&T win maiden trophy at U21 football

Ha Noi T&T's U21 football team yesterday defeated Vinh Long 2-0 in the final at Lach Tray Stadium in Hai Phong City to win the U21 football championship for the first time.

Minh Hai scored the opening goal in the last minute of the first half and Van Thanh sealed the game for the Ha Noi-based team as in the second half he successfully converted a penalty after Van Tam was fouled in the box.

Song Lam Nghe An and Hai Phong shared third place. Tran Dinh Truong, who is also the best scorer with three goals, was named the best player of the tournament, while the best goalkeeper title was awarded to Nguyen Van Cong of T&T.

The annual tournament is organised by Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper with the participation of eight teams from across the country.