Women prepare for Olympic qualifiers

HCM CITY — Viet Nam's women's football team will start its FIFA Women's Olympic Football Tournament 2012 qualifying campaign next month.

The Asian qualifiers that start in March have three phrases until September to determine the two teams that will represent Asia.

Viet Nam is in group A of the draw, which comprises Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Myanmar.

Group A and seven other teams – India, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Iran, Palestine and Jordan – from groups B and C will take part in the inaugural phase of qualification that kicks off on March 8 and winds up on March 27.

Group A will play their matches in Chinese Taipei (Kaohsiung City) while Bangladesh (Dhaka) will host the Group B games. Jordan (Zerqa City) will play host to Group C.

The top two teams from Groups A and C and the winners of Group B (five teams) will advance to the second round of qualifiers, which is a one-round league format and takes place from June 3-12.

The winners of this qualification round will join Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Australia for the final qualification round that will take place from September 1-11. The six teams will play a one-round league format. The top two teams in the final round of qualifiers will represent Asia at the 2012 London Olympics.

Hosts for the second qualification round will come from among the participating teams while the final qualification round hosts will be decided between Australia North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and one potential participating member association. — VNS

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VN Football Federation chief wins AFC seat

The general secretary of the Viet Nam Football Federation, Tran Quoc

Tuan, won a seat on the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee at the 24th AFC Congress that wrapped up on Thursday.

Tuan got 30 votes and was joined by Winston Lee of Singapore (33) and U Zaw Zaw of Myanmar (23). Timor Leste's Francisco Kalbaudi (20) and Indonesia's Nurdin Halid (21) lost out.

The voting was done regionally with each of the four zones getting three members into the Committee.

Liem to compete in the Netherlands

International Grandmaster Le Quang Liem will leave for the Netherlands' Tata Steel chess championship next week.

Master Liem accompanied by coach Lam Minh Chau will compete in the tournament from January 14-30 in Wijk Ann Zee city.

The Vietnamese who is expected to be seeded No 5 will take part in group B against 13 other masters whose FIDE Elo rating around 2,700.

Group A is for contestants selected from the world's top 25, while group C is for masters with Elo rating below that of B Group contestants.

The Tata Steel Tournament is one of the world's most prestigious tournaments, regularly attracting world champions. The winner of group B and C will win promotion for the next tournament. — VNS

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Team honoured before AFF Cup

Defending honour: Striker Nguyen Viet Thang takes the ball while coach Henrique Calisto (top left) urges players to train harder yesterday. Viet Nam meet Myanmar in the ASEAN Football Championship on Thursday. — VNS Photos Quang Thang

HA NOI — The Viet Nam football team has been awarded the Labour Order, Third Class, for winning the ASEAN Football Championship-AFF-Suzuki Cup two years ago.

Portuguese coach Henrique Calisto and six members of the winning team, Le Cong Vinh, Duong Hong Son, Phan Van Tai Em, Vu Nhu Thanh, Nguyen Minh Phuong and Le Tan Tai, were among 18 players and assistant coaches to receive the certificates in Ha Noi.

The honour is expected to encourage the team before they play Myanmar in the opening match of this year's ASEAN Football Championship.

The group B contest will be played at Ha Noi's My Dinh Stadium on Thursday.

Viet Nam won the AFF-Suzuki Cup – co-hosted by Thailand and Singapore – with a 3-2 victory in a two-legged final against Thailand.

Viet Nam will play with Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore in a round-robin in group B between Thursday and December 8.

The top two will qualify for the semi-finals. Last week, the AFF council decided to change the venue for the competition's second match from Ha Noi's Hang Day Stadium to Nam Dinh's Thien Truong Stadium.

Indonesia hosts group A which includes Thailand, Malaysia and Laos from December 1-8.

Viet Nam and Indonesia are co-hosting the regional football championship that ends on December 29.

Two countries have co-hosted since 2002 with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals and final that is played in a home-and-away format. — VNS

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Viet Nam honoured before AFF Cup

HA NOI – Viet Nam football team received the Labour Order, Third Class from the State for their ASEAN Football Championship, AFF-Suzuki Cup, two years ago.

Portuguese Henrique Calisto and six players, Le Cong Vinh, Duong Hong Son, Phan Van Tai Em, Vu Nhu Thanh, Nguyen Minh Phuong and Le Tan Tai were awarded the honour orders in a ceremony in Ha Noi.

Eighteen players and coach assistants were also honoured the certificates of merit from the Government.

The honour award will encourage the team before the ASEAN Football Championship playing Myanmar in the opening match in group B at Ha Noi's My Dinh Stadium on Thursday.

Two years ago, Viet Nam won the AFF-Suzuki Cup, which was co-hosted by Thailand and Singapore, after a 3-2 win in a two-legged final against Thailand.

Viet Nam will play with Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore in a round-robin in group B on December 2-8. Two tops will qualify for semi-final.

Last week, the AFF council decided to change the venue for the competition's second pitch from Ha Noi's Hang Day Stadium to Nam Dinh's Thien Truong Stadium.

Indonesia hosts group A, which includes Thailand, Malaysia and Laos on December 1-8.

Viet Nam and Indonesia will co-host the regional football championship on December 1-29.

Since 2002 the AFF Cup has been hosted by two countries, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals and final, which is played in a home-and-away format. – VNS

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Vietnam beats Bahrain in Asian Games opener

Vietnam’s Under-23 squad scored a 3-1 upset against Baharain in their Group B opener at the 16th Asian Games at Guangdong People’s Stadium, on Monday.

The Vietnamese youths scored one goal in the first half and another two goals in the second before Bahrain pulled one back in the final minutes.

Before the event began, coach Phan Thanh Hung and the Vietnamese U23s said they believed they could advance to the second round.

The impressive win over Bahrain certainly made for a good start.

The two top squads, in each of the tournament’s six groups will advance to the second round along with the four third-place teams with the best results.

The Vietnamese U23s will clash with Turkmenistan in their next game on Wednesday before facing off against Iran on Friday.

In the other Group B match on Monday, Iran thrashed Turkmenistan 4-1 to come out on top of the group.

In Group A, Malaysia defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1 while hosts China lost 0-3 to Japan.

In Group C, North Korea beat South Korea 1-0 while Palestine and Jordan fought to a scoreless tie.

On Sunday, Kuwait beat India 2-0 while Qatar drew 0-0 with Singapore in Group D; and in Group E, Uzbekistan hammered Bangladesh 3-0. The U.A.E drew 1-1 with Hong Kong.

In Group F, Oman defeated Maldives 3-0 while Thailand crushed Pakistan 6-0 with Thong Lao and Teerasil Dangda each scoring a double.

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Vietnam beats Bahrain in Asian Games opener

Vietnam’s Under-23 squad scored a 3-1 upset against Baharain in their Group B opener at the 16th Asian Games at Guangdong People’s Stadium, on Monday.

The Vietnamese youths scored one goal in the first half and another two goals in the second before Bahrain pulled one back in the final minutes.

Before the event began, coach Phan Thanh Hung and the Vietnamese U23s said they believed they could advance to the second round.

The impressive win over Bahrain certainly made for a good start.

The two top squads, in each of the tournament’s six groups will advance to the second round along with the four third-place teams with the best results.

The Vietnamese U23s will clash with Turkmenistan in their next game on Wednesday before facing off against Iran on Friday.

In the other Group B match on Monday, Iran thrashed Turkmenistan 4-1 to come out on top of the group.

In Group A, Malaysia defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1 while hosts China lost 0-3 to Japan.

In Group C, North Korea beat South Korea 1-0 while Palestine and Jordan fought to a scoreless tie.

On Sunday, Kuwait beat India 2-0 while Qatar drew 0-0 with Singapore in Group D; and in Group E, Uzbekistan hammered Bangladesh 3-0. The U.A.E drew 1-1 with Hong Kong.

In Group F, Oman defeated Maldives 3-0 while Thailand crushed Pakistan 6-0 with Thong Lao and Teerasil Dangda each scoring a double.

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Foreign jugglers lure local children

Lately, teenagers and children have been frequenting the Sunday
afternoon circus performance of a foreign entertainment group at Hanoi
Botanical Park.

The group, which includes
amateur artists of many nationalities, shows the audience outstanding
and original skills. One of the members of the group, Fran Donovan, a

petite from Wales, England carefully juggles colourful balls of all different sizes, catching them with her skilful hands.

"When I was a child, my parents used to take me to the local circus
and to festivals on weekends. Watching people and animals performing
magic tricks made a strong impression on me," said Donovan.

Donovan and her boyfriend Ali Evans started the group and invited their friends to join.

"I love children a lot. It was a great idea to teach them my tricks,"
she says while her hands are busy playing with five fabric balls.

"Beginners should practice with two balls of the same size. First,
throw one ball into the air and watch it closely, not too high or too
low so you are able to focus on the ball.

When the first ball is already up, continue by throwing the second ball."

After living in Vietnam for a year and a half, Donovan and her group
all come from Hanoi Circus Club, have performed in several places in
Hanoi . Most of the audience members are children, but more and more
teenagers and young adults are coming to the shows. According to
Donovan, the size of the audience changes constantly.

Sometimes people she's never seen before pass by to watch the group perform.

"We do not have many toys to bring to the park, so we've asked our
Vietnamese friends living in the Old Quarter to make more balls for us.
The staffs are made from

bamboo, and the clubs are made from rattan, which makes them very strong and stiff", added Donovan.

Evans, the group's leader, as well as an English teacher at the
Australian Centre for Education and Training, is capable of playing with
all the toys and said that patience is

necessary to study circus.

"You can juggle as many balls as you want, as long as you prastice
everyday. It really depends on how much you try," he said.

Like Evans, others members in the group have a main career, but they still serve audiences without pay.

One of Evans's student, Bui Thi Hong Nhung, from the Hanoi University
of Agriculture, said, "I have never tried to learn these skills before. I
only saw performances of animals and people in the Hanoi central
circus. Ali is a good teacher and a brilliant artist. This could be my
new hobby."

Another member from France, Franny, attracts children with her poi performance.

"Poi is a performance art in which one or more balls are suspended
from a certain length of flexible material, usually a plaited cord, and
swung in circular patterns by the

artist," said the poi artist.

The group plans to perform more skills in Hanoi 's Thong Nhat Park so that more children can come and watch.

"We just want to meet people and have fun. Money is not of certain to us," said Donovan./.

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Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament

Vietnam U21 players celebrate their goal during their Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup football match against Singapore U21 in HCMC on Monday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam U19 beat Singapore U21 2-1 in their first game of the fourth International U-21 Football Tournament  2010, also called Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup, while Thailand thrashed Myanmar 4-0 in the earlier game at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Monday.

A still scoreless Vietnam suffered a shock blow when The Son scored an own goal in the 38th minute. They regained composure quickly to dominate play but took 47 nailbiting minutes to equalize.

Quoc Phuong leveled for the Vietnamese team in the 85th minute and Van Thanh finalized the game at 2-1 just two minutes later, giving his team the important victory in the group stage of the competition.

With the victory, Vietnam U19 secured top of Group B with three points and secured the first semifinals ticket. Singapore U21, who tied 1-1 with Malaysia U21 in their opener on Saturday, and Malaysia U21 have one point each.

The second Group B’s semifinals ticket will be decided on Wednesday when Vietnam U19 play Malaysia U21. The Vietnamese still go through win or lose.

Earlier, Thailand U21 crushed their counterparts from Myanmar 4-0. The Thai side controlled the game and Sokjoho and Hongthong scored two goals each for their team.

Thailand U21 and Vietnam U21 have three points from their first win but the Vietnamese side rank first of Group A thanks to the goal difference while  Myanmar exited from the annual tournament after suffering two losses. The Myanmar side lost 1-5 to Vietnam U21 in the opening game on Saturday. 

Vietnam will play archrivals Thailand in their final game to decide the leaders of Group A on Wednesday and the two teams only need a draw to advance to the semifinal round.

On Wednesday, Vietnam U19 will take on Malaysia U21 in the final Group B match at 3:30 p.m. and Vietnam U21 will play Thailand U21 in their final game in Group B at 6:00 p.m.

The International U.21 Football Tournament, at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium from October 23-31, drew four foreign U21 squads from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar together with Vietnam’s U21 and U19 teams.

The six teams play in round-robin format in two groups with the top two teams from each advancing to the semifinals. Group A comprises Vietnam U21, Myanmar U21 and Thailand U21 while Vietnam U19 are in Group B with Singapore U21 and Malaysia U21. 

The annual football event, which is sponsored by the Thanh Nien newspaper, is considered a key part of developing youth football talent in the country.

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Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament

Vietnam U21 players celebrate their goal during their Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup football match against Singapore U21 in HCMC on Monday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam U19 beat Singapore U21 2-1 in their first game of the fourth International U-21 Football Tournament  2010, also called Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup, while Thailand thrashed Myanmar 4-0 in the earlier game at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Monday.

A still scoreless Vietnam suffered a shock blow when The Son scored an own goal in the 38th minute. They regained composure quickly to dominate play but took 47 nailbiting minutes to equalize.

Quoc Phuong leveled for the Vietnamese team in the 85th minute and Van Thanh finalized the game at 2-1 just two minutes later, giving his team the important victory in the group stage of the competition.

With the victory, Vietnam U19 secured top of Group B with three points and secured the first semifinals ticket. Singapore U21, who tied 1-1 with Malaysia U21 in their opener on Saturday, and Malaysia U21 have one point each.

The second Group B’s semifinals ticket will be decided on Wednesday when Vietnam U19 play Malaysia U21. The Vietnamese still go through win or lose.

Earlier, Thailand U21 crushed their counterparts from Myanmar 4-0. The Thai side controlled the game and Sokjoho and Hongthong scored two goals each for their team.

Thailand U21 and Vietnam U21 have three points from their first win but the Vietnamese side rank first of Group A thanks to the goal difference while  Myanmar exited from the annual tournament after suffering two losses. The Myanmar side lost 1-5 to Vietnam U21 in the opening game on Saturday. 

Vietnam will play archrivals Thailand in their final game to decide the leaders of Group A on Wednesday and the two teams only need a draw to advance to the semifinal round.

On Wednesday, Vietnam U19 will take on Malaysia U21 in the final Group B match at 3:30 p.m. and Vietnam U21 will play Thailand U21 in their final game in Group B at 6:00 p.m.

The International U.21 Football Tournament, at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium from October 23-31, drew four foreign U21 squads from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar together with Vietnam’s U21 and U19 teams.

The six teams play in round-robin format in two groups with the top two teams from each advancing to the semifinals. Group A comprises Vietnam U21, Myanmar U21 and Thailand U21 while Vietnam U19 are in Group B with Singapore U21 and Malaysia U21. 

The annual football event, which is sponsored by the Thanh Nien newspaper, is considered a key part of developing youth football talent in the country.

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Real win aristocratic duel, slick Arsenal cruise

Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh (L) scores a goal past Shakhtar Donetsk's goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov during their Champions League soccer match at the Emirates Stadium in London October 19, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the knockout blow for Real Madrid in their aristocratic battle with AC Milan on Tuesday, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich maintained their own perfect Champions League starts.

While Arsenal provided a breathtaking collective display in a 5-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, nine-times European champions Real had the individual brilliance of the world's most expensive player to thank for their 2-0 win at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo poked a free-kick straight through the wall and set up Mesut Ozil to score a heavily deflected second less than a minute later as Real saw off the seven-times winners with a devastating one-two combination.

Real and Milan make the record of Bayern Munich, the four-times winners, look relatively modest and there was a lot less style about their 3-2 home win over CFR Cluj in group E, which saw them come from behind to take the lead with two own-goals before Mario Gomez gave them breathing space.

Arsenal, who beat Braga 6-0 in their opening fixture in group H, rarely struggle for panache at their own stadium and they were altogether too much for Shakhtar in London.

Alex Song, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere and Marouane Chamakh picked off the goals, with former Arsenal player Eduardo da Silva getting a late consolation for the visitors and a heartwarming ovation for himself.

There was another goal-scoring return of a sort as Chelsea won 2-0 at Spartak Moscow in group F.

Yuri Zhirkov, who spent five seasons with Spartak's bitter Moscow rivals CSKA, set Chelsea on their way with his first goal for the club before Nicolas Anelka doubled the lead.

Beneath the perfect quartet, Ajax Amsterdam maintained their hopes in Real Madrid's group by winning 2-1 at home to Auxerre, a result that took them level with Milan on four points.

Goals from Brazilian strikers Lima and Matheus gave Braga their first points with a 2-0 win over Partizan Belgrade that leaves the Serbs bottom of group H.

Basel sprang a surprise in group E by winning 3-1 away to AS Roma after two defeats, while Olympique Marseille kept their group F hopes alive as they labored to a 1-0 home win against Slovakians Zilina.

Problem solved

The only question mark over Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid early in the season was a struggle to turn their dominance into goals but that problem is now well behind them.

The Spanish league leaders followed up a 4-1 win over Malaga at the weekend with another performance of energy and guile, capped by goals in the 13th and 14th minutes.

"We needed to impose a strong rhythm from the start, playing with the concentration this type of game deserves, and we were able to do that," Ronaldo told reporters.

While Real have scored five goals in their three wins in Europe, Arsenal have knocked in a whopping 14 and they were irresistible in taking Shakhtar apart on Tuesday.

"We were sharp and played technically at a good level," said manager Arsene Wenger, whose side have Manchester United's group stage record 20 goals in their sights. "I think our goals were down to them becoming fatigued from running after the ball."

Chelsea, who like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are dreaming of a place in a "home" final in London's Wembley Stadium, were efficient rather than brilliant at the Luzhniki Stadium, scene of their painful defeat by Manchester United in the 2008 final.

"I don't think the players talked about the last defeat at this stadium,” coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference. "It was not an easy game for us. We scored two great goals."

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Draw pits Vietnam against big rivals at Asiad

The draw in Guangzhou, China on Thursday put the Vietnamese U23 male footballers in Group B against big rivals Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan at the 16th Asian Games next month.

Vietnam’s U23s beat their Iranian opponents 2-0 to take the championship of the Thang Long Cup in Ho Chi Minh City last Saturday (Oct 2). Yet the coming clash in Guangzhou may be very different.

The other two rivals Bahrain and Turkmenistan will prove difficult rivals because they are physically bigger and stronger than the Vietnamese players.

Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand will clash with Oman, Pakistan and Maldives in Group F while Malaysia will face Japan, Kyrgyzstan and hosts China in Group A and Singapore will compete with Qatar, Kuwait and India in Group D.

In the women’s event, Vietnamese Under-23s will play against Jordan, South Korea and hosts China in Group A while Thailand will face Japan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Group B.

The men’s football competition will start on November 7 and finish on November 25 while the women’s contest will begin on November 14 and end on November 23.

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Vietnam’s Olympic footballers to pay in Asiad group B

Vietnamese football fans during a celebration march on Ho Chi Minh City streets in December, 2009

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The national Olympic football team of Vietnam will face stiff competition in group B with upper tier teams Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan at the 2010 Asian Games, which will be held from November 12-27 in Guangzhou, China.

Vietnam, now at the 125th place on the FIFA ranking table released last month, will take on Bahrain -- the world’s number 75 -- on November 8, said the organizer Monday.

The side will face Turkmenistan (129th) on November 10 and the 2006 Asiad third-placed Iran (ranked 57th) three days later.

The Asian Games’ men’s football division will have 24 teams competing in six groups with the top two teams of each group and four best third-placed teams -- based on goals scored -- qualifying for the last 16 round.

The women’s football event will have seven teams separated in two groups and top two teams of each group qualifying to the semifinals.

Vietnam are in group A with hosts China, South Korea and Jordan while Thailand, Japan and defending champions North Korea are in group B.

China, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan and Japan were drawn in group A. Group C has South Korea, Palestine, Jordan and North Korea. Defending champion Qatar, Kuwait, India and Singapore are in group D.

Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Bangladesh are in group E and Thailand, Oman, Pakistan and Maldives in group F.

The 16th Asian Games, which is held every four years, feature 476 events in 42 sports.

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Vietnam Olympic draws tough group for ASIAD

HCMC - Vietnam’s U-23 football team drew some of West Asia’s strongest teams in the group stages at 16th Asian Games (ASIAD), while the Vietnam women’s national football team will have to play powerhouse China and South Korea.

According to the draw, which took place in Guangzhou, China on Thursday, Vietnam has got stiff competition in Group B with Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan.

The men’s football event will have 24 teams compete in six groups with the top two teams of each group and four best third-placed teams qualifying for the last 16 round.

The hosts China will play against Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia in Group A. South Korea will face North Korea, Palestine and Jordan in Group C. Group D comprises defending champions Qatar, Kuwait, India and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will compete in Group E including Uzbekistan, UAE and Bangladesh while Thailand are in Group F with the last ASIAD runners-up Iraq, Maldives and Oman.

The women’s football event will have seven teams compete in two groups and top two teams of each group qualifying to the semifinals. Vietnam are in Group A with hosts China, South Korea and Jordan while Thailand will play in Group B together with defending champions North Korea and runners-up Japan.

The group matches of the men’s football event will be played from November 7 to 25 while the women’s football event will take place from November 14 to 23.

In a friendly tournament to prepare for the ASIAD, Vietnam’s U-23 football team won the international football tournament - Eximbank Cup 2010 after trouncing Iran U21 2-0 during the final match in HCMC last month. The round-robin tournament drew the U-23 teams of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Iran U21.

During the last ASIAD, which was held in Qatar four years ago, Vietnam’s U23 football team finished third position, however, the Vietnam Olympic team failed to qualify for the last 16 team. Vietnam were in the same group with South Korea, Bahrain and Bangladesh.

The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the 16th ASIAD, which will be held from November 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. Guangzhou is the second city in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990.

A total of 476 events in 42 sports will be contested by athletes, making it the largest event in the history of the Games. It will also be the last one to have such big events, as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has enforced new hosting rules beginning with the 2014 Games.

The Vietnamese delegation grabbed three gold, thirteen silver and seven bronze medals at the 15th Asian Games in Qatar, ending in 19th place overall in the medal standings. The Vietnamese delegation had send some 365 athletes, coaches, referees and officials to Asia’s biggest sporting event.

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Messi seeks fitness as pretenders prowl

Barcelona's Lionel Messi gestures as he celebrates after scoring his second goal against Panathinaikos during their Champions League Group D soccer match at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona September 14, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Lionel Messi is battling to be fit for Barcelona's trip to Rubin Kazan on Wednesday but if injury keeps him out a host of other forwards are waiting in the wings to borrow his crown as Champions League king.

The little magician, inspirational in Barca's 2009 triumph and run to the semi-finals last term, has missed two league games with ankle ligament damage but could return against a side who shocked Pep Guardiola's men last season with a win at the Nou Camp and a goalless draw in Russia.

Messi scored twice in the 5-1 home victory over Panathinaikos in Barca's first Group D game two weeks ago when former team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic also bagged a brace for new club AC Milan.

Ibrahimovic, cast aside by Guardiola after failing to come out of Messi's shadow, netted a double in Milan's nervous 2-0 win over Auxerre in their Group G opener at the San Siro and has since scored twice in Serie A to warm up nicely for Tuesday's second match at Ajax Amsterdam.

"I've scored four goals so far, all of them were important. I don't know which one was the most beautiful, we should ask the fans," the Swede told reporters before giving an ominous warning for Europe's defenders.

"I'm still not fully fit, but I'll be at 100 percent soon. Like I said on my first day at Milan, I came here to win."

Another former Barcelona striker, Samuel Eto'o, is in excellent form for holders Inter Milan and was unlucky not to score again in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at AS Roma in Serie A.

A first Champions League home game as Inter boss awaits Rafael Benitez in Group A on Wednesday when Werder Bremen come to town hoping to exploit set pieces just like Twente Enschede did in their opening 2-2 draw with the treble winners.

Liveliest attacker

Diego Milito, who scored both goals in last May's final when Inter overran Bayern Munich, still has to fully rediscover his touch in front of goal but Benitez's lack of options mean the Argentine has to play practically every game.

Four-times winners Bayern, who visit FC Basel in Group E on Tuesday, are a long way from the form which took them to last season's final as underlined by Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Mainz 05.

Creative wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are injured so the burden may again fall on World Cup Golden Boot winner Thomas Mueller, whose wonder goal set up a 2-0 win over AS Roma last time out in Europe.

While Mueller was wowing the crowds in South Africa, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were big disappointments and their club seasons have yet to really spark to life.

Ronaldo's Real Madrid were held to a 0-0 draw by promoted Levante on Saturday but the Portuguese was their liveliest attacker and will now try to unleash his frustration at Auxerre on Tuesday.

"Our tactics aren't the problem, but we aren't scoring," Real boss Jose Mourinho said. "It's not because of our players because we all know just how capable they are of scoring, but we aren't right now. That is my only worry."

The struggles of Manchester United's Rooney may also be troubling Alex Ferguson with another lacklustre display in a 2-2 draw at Bolton before Wednesday's Group C trip to Valencia.

Fellow English side Chelsea lost their first league game of the season on Saturday against Manchester City but should have an easier time at home to Marseille in Group F on Tuesday, with Didier Drogba keen to remind his old club of his strength.

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Vietnam enjoys lucky draw in 2010 AFF Cup

Vietnam got a lucky break as the draw was announced for the 2010 ASEAN Football Association (AFF) Cup in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The defending champions will play in Group B against Singapore, Myanmar and won’t clash with big rivals like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in the early stages of the contest.

Powerhouse Thailand will play Malaysia, Group A hosts Indonesia and the first-place team from the qualifying round.

The qualifying round will kick off in Vientiane in late October. The Laotian hosts will face off against Cambodia, East Timor and the Philippines for two places in the final round – which begins in early December.

Asked if he felt relieved about Vietnam’s placement in Group B, Calisto said “Which group would you choose if you could? Of course, Group B is easier!

“But as I said before, we will kill ourselves if we don’t respect rivals. There were two strong contenders for the title in 2008; and now there are five.”

Calisto, who helped Vietnam win the AFF trophy in 2008, said Singapore has made constant progress and Myanmar has improved a lot, too.

The Portuguese coach said that Vietnam will have to do their best in every single match to defend the championship of the biennial regional football event.

He believed that Vietnam won the title two years ago by surprising all of its rivals – but, this year,

Vietnam’s opponents have studied their techniques and will come to the matches very familiar with the team’s playing style.

The best two teams from groups A and B will play two-leg matches, away and home, in the semifinals.

The losers in the semi-finals will both take third place titles while the winners will play a two-leg final for the championship.

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Vietnam avoid Suzuki Cup group of death

Vietnam's head coach Henrique Calisto

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Defending champions Vietnam have been drawn in group B with Singapore and Myanmar in football’s AFF Suzuki Cup to be co-hosted by Vietnam and Indonesia in December.

Three strong teams, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, will be in group A.

Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Timor Leste will play qualifiers in Laos next month from which two will go to the finals.

“I think it’s rather easy for Vietnam in group B,” coach Henrique Calisto said after the draw in Hanoi Thursday.

Coach Radojko Avramovich of Singapore said his side will advance to the final.

“[But] I know it won’t be easy,” he told Tuoi Tre.

“Myanmar has made progress and Vietnam is always a hard opponent, especially at home.

“All teams know that playing Vietnam in My Dinh is a hard task.

However, he conceded Vietnam has a better chance.

In the last AFF Suzuki Cup in 2008 Singapore held Vietnam to a goalless draw in the first leg of the semifinal before losing 1-0 in the second. Vietnam went on beating Thailand 3-2 to clinch the title.

Steve Darby, Thailand’s assistant coach, said he is looking forward to seeing his side play Vietnam in the final.

“Thailand will do well though we are in the more difficult group,” he said.

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Messi lights up first night as Inter toil

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (L) plays the ball in front of Panathinaikos' goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas during their Champions League Group D soccer match at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona September 14, 2010

Photo: Reuters

The world's best player Lionel Messi lit up the opening night of the Champions League for Barcelona although holders Inter Milan and Manchester United endured less than sparkling starts on Tuesday.

The Argentine, like last season, treated Europe's blue riband club competition as his personal playground, scoring two classy goals before missing a penalty as Barca recovered from an early shock to thrash visiting Panathinaikos 5-1 in Group D.

Inter took the lead but then had to come from behind to draw 2-2 at Dutch debutants Twente Enschede in Group A with the Italians losing forward Goran Pandev to a knee injury.

A much-changed Manchester United could find no way past obdurate Scottish visitors Rangers in Group C, drawing 0-0 in a game overshadowed by a serious ankle injury to Antonio Valencia.

The impish Messi bagged eight goals in the competition last season and judging by his display at the Nou Camp against an overwhelmed Greek side he will be aiming for double figures again, as Barca set about trying to reclaim the trophy.

Messi would have celebrated a hat-trick but for the second-half penalty save and he also rattled the goal frame before halftime as he resumed normal service after failing to hit the target at the World Cup finals.

David Villa, Pedro and Dani Alves also found the net for the irresistible Catalans who emphatically made up for their shock defeat by promoted Hercules in La Liga at the weekend.

"He is the best player in the world by some distance from the rest," said Barca coach Pep Guardiola. "It hurts him to miss and he has this amateur spirit of always wanting to play."

Own goal

Inter forward Diego Milito was not far behind fellow Argentine Messi in the Champions League goal charts last season but scored at the wrong end as they began the defense of their crown under new manager Rafael Benitez in jittery fashion.

Milito's own goal briefly left Inter 2-1 behind at Twente after Wesley Sneijder had given the Italians an early lead.

Samuel Eto'o spared his blushes with an equalizer but Inter had to settle for a point after a goalless second half.

"In the first half we deserved nothing,” former Liverpool coach Benitez, who faces a colossal task filling the shoes of Jose Mourinho, told reporters.

“We opened the scoring but after that we faced serious problems.”

The other game in Group A also ended 2-2, Tottenham Hotspur wasting a two-goal lead against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on their first appearance in the European Cup since 1962.

Manchester United struggled to find inspiration in their goalless draw with Rangers and Valencia's misfortune capped a poor night for manager Alex Ferguson, whose decision to make 10 changes to the side that drew with Everton on Saturday misfired.

Wayne Rooney did return after being left out at the weekend as he deals with marital problems but the England striker, like his team mates, huffed and puffed against the massed ranks of Rangers' eight-man defense without making a serious dent.

Winger Valencia fell to the turf after a seemingly innocuous tackle in the 63rd minute and manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports he feared the Ecuadorean had broken his ankle.

Fiery Baprism

Turkish side Bursaspor were given a baptism of fire against Valencia, losing 4-0 at home in Group C's other game.

In Group B, Benfica and Olympique Lyon started with victories, neither of them particularly convincing.

Benfica beat Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 and last year's semifinalists Lyon chiseled out a 1-0 win over Schalke 04, who played the second half with 10 men after central defender Benedikt Hoewedes was harshly sent off before the break.

Russian champions Rubin Kazan, who stunned Barcelona last season and will face them again later in Group D, were beaten 1-0 at Denmark's FC Copenhagen.

Wednesday marks Mourinho's Champions League bow with his new team Real Madrid hosting Martin Jol's Ajax Amsterdam while last season's runners-up Bayern Munich host AS Roma as the opening games in the competition continue with matches in groups E-H.

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First int’l piano contest closes in Hanoi

Vietnam won three second prizes and two third prizes at the
international piano competition, which was held in Vietnam for the
first time from September 5-12.

In the group A for
pianists from 10-13, Vietnamese contestant Do Hoang Linh Chi and
Canada’s Vu Duc Manh Vincent picked up second prizes, each worth 500 USD
in cash. The first prize worth 1,000 USD went to Kiroki Ukine from
Japan .

In the 14-17-year-old group, Tran Viet Bao
and Luu Duc Anh of Vietnam together with Montesclaros Ma Regina from
the Philippines earned second prizes, each worth 800 USD.
Especially, Tran Viet Bao received the best contestant in Nocturne
performance presented by the Vietnamese Musician Association.

In the group, Nguyen Le Binh An took third prize and was presented with Dang Thai Son Scholarship.

In the group C, Luu Hong Quang of the host country and Shih Wei Chen
from Taiwan won third prizes, each worth 800 USD. The first prize
worth 2,000 USD belongs to Kim Kyung Hoon from the Republic of Korea
.

Tran Viet Bao also received Dang Thai Son Scholarship./.

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New coach, same story as Belarus shock France

Belarus' Alexander Hleb (L) fights for the ball with France's Mathieu Valbuena (R) during their Euro 2012 qualifying soccer match in Saint-Denis, near Paris September 3, 2010

Photo: Reuters

France learned the road to post-World Cup redemption will be long and hard as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Belarus on Friday, while Spain reveled in their status as world and European champions with an easy win over Liechtenstein.

England and Italy were able to make positive starts on their routes to recovery from disappointing World Cup displays, scoring contrasting wins in their first Euro 2012 qualifiers.

England played with the sort of skill and quick passing that completely eluded them in South Africa as they beat Bulgaria 4-0 at Wembley, Jermain Defoe netting a smartly taken hat-trick in the Group G clash.

Italy were almost embarrassed but were ultimately able to celebrate a 2-1 victory after coming from a goal down away to Estonia in Group C.

For France, though, there was only further misery, as a much changed team from the World Cup was cheered on to the pitch but roundly booed off it.

Laurent Blanc's first competitive match since replacing Raymond Domenech after a World Cup campaign that veered between farce and fiasco offered few positives for the French, as a late goal from Sergei Kislyak consigned them to a Group D defeat.

While Europe's first big night of competitive international action since the World Cup was a chance for atonement for the flops, it was a celebration for the three big success stories.

Spain led the way as two goals from Fernando Torres and one from World Cup hero David Villa -- who moved to within one goal of equaling Raul's scoring record for the country -- helped them brush past Liechtenstein in a Group I match in Vaduz.

David Silva was the other scorer in the opening match of the defense of the title Spain won in Austria and Switzerland in 2008.

The Netherlands, beaten by the Spanish in the Johannesburg final, saw off San Marino 5-0 in Group E with a hat-trick from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Serious opponents

Germany, who took third place at the World Cup, had a tougher night against more serious opponents in Group A but came through 1-0 against Belgium with a goal from the ever reliable Miroslav Klose.

In the night's other David and Goliath clash, Russia proved there is no room for sentiment when it comes to the business of qualifying, grabbing a workmanlike 2-0 win away to Andorra in Group B thanks to two goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak.

While Blanc was suffering the ignominy of defeat, new Italy coach Cesare Prandelli was able to celebrate -- but only after an almighty scare.

The hosts opened the scoring in the 31st minute when forward Sergei Zenjov struck after Italian keeper Salvatore Sirigu lost his grip on the wet ball.

The 2006 world champions just managed to halt their seven-game win drought thanks to second-half goals from Antonio Cassano and Leonardo Bonucci.

"It's a strong emotion," Prandelli told Rai TV after his first competitive game in charge. "We had the right reaction and deserved to win.”

“I said at halftime we had to continue doing the right things but with more speed.

“We made mistakes on nearly every dead ball we conceded,” he admitted.

"At the moment Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini are the two forwards who shine the most."

England's commanding win over Bulgaria will have come as a relief to another Italian coach in Fabio Capello, whose position was called into question after England's limp 4-1 exit to Germany in the World Cup second round.

Defoe's opening goal in the third minute set them on their way and while their form dipped after that they finished strongly. Defoe completed his hat-trick with goals in the 61st and 86th minutes, with Adam Johnson also finding the net.

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