North Korea beat Vietnam 2-0, taking Sonha Cup

HCMC – North Korea won the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Sonha Cup after beating hosts Vietnam 2-0 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday.

Singapore secured second place defeating South Korea’s U23 2-0 in an earlier game on the same day in the round robin tournament.

Vietnam wanted to keep cup at home, needing to win by an almost impossible three goals in the game. The hosts, with only one point from the two opening games, needed that decisive win, but North Korea that had four points from their previous win and draw only needed to stay within two points of the hosts for victory.

The home side had suffered a 0-2 loss to South Korea U23 in the opener and tied 1-1 with Singapore in the second game, while North Korea earned a 2-1 win over Singapore in the first game and tied 1-1 with South Korea U23 in the second game.

The North Korean team participated in the friendly tournament with their strongest squad. North Korea were considered hot favourites with six of their best players, who attended the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in June, in their lineup.

Though Vietnam started the game without striker Nguyen Viet Thang, midfielder Pham Thanh Luong and midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, the Vietnamese side were confident as they had the home ground advantage.

Starting quickly, Vietnam began the first half with more attacks and stronger pressure but their forwards missed the net.

The visitors started the game slowly managing a few chances but the first half ended goalless.

The Vietnamese players dominated the ball possession in the first minutes of the second half but North Korea surprised in the 55th when Myong Cha Hyon netted for his team with a header after receiving the ball from Ri Pyong Chol in the left wing.

Their joy was doubled just 10 minutes later when Rin Jin Hyok beat the Vietnamese keeper Duong Hong Son with an unstoppable kick after a great cross from teammate Kang Kuk Chol, who beat the defenders’ offside trap.

Despite strong attacks in the last minutes, the Vietnamese were left frustrated by the defense without a point.

North Korea finished the four-day, four-team round-robin tournament in top spot with seven points. Singapore and South Korea U23 both ended on four points with Singaporean securing second spot on goal difference. The host team came fourth.

The North Koreans won a cash prize of US$20,000 ,while Singapore and South Korea U23collected US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively.

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North Korea beat Vietnam 2-0, taking Sonha Cup

HCMC – North Korea won the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Sonha Cup after beating hosts Vietnam 2-0 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday.

Singapore secured second place defeating South Korea’s U23 2-0 in an earlier game on the same day in the round robin tournament.

Vietnam wanted to keep cup at home, needing to win by an almost impossible three goals in the game. The hosts, with only one point from the two opening games, needed that decisive win, but North Korea that had four points from their previous win and draw only needed to stay within two points of the hosts for victory.

The home side had suffered a 0-2 loss to South Korea U23 in the opener and tied 1-1 with Singapore in the second game, while North Korea earned a 2-1 win over Singapore in the first game and tied 1-1 with South Korea U23 in the second game.

The North Korean team participated in the friendly tournament with their strongest squad. North Korea were considered hot favourites with six of their best players, who attended the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in June, in their lineup.

Though Vietnam started the game without striker Nguyen Viet Thang, midfielder Pham Thanh Luong and midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, the Vietnamese side were confident as they had the home ground advantage.

Starting quickly, Vietnam began the first half with more attacks and stronger pressure but their forwards missed the net.

The visitors started the game slowly managing a few chances but the first half ended goalless.

The Vietnamese players dominated the ball possession in the first minutes of the second half but North Korea surprised in the 55th when Myong Cha Hyon netted for his team with a header after receiving the ball from Ri Pyong Chol in the left wing.

Their joy was doubled just 10 minutes later when Rin Jin Hyok beat the Vietnamese keeper Duong Hong Son with an unstoppable kick after a great cross from teammate Kang Kuk Chol, who beat the defenders’ offside trap.

Despite strong attacks in the last minutes, the Vietnamese were left frustrated by the defense without a point.

North Korea finished the four-day, four-team round-robin tournament in top spot with seven points. Singapore and South Korea U23 both ended on four points with Singaporean securing second spot on goal difference. The host team came fourth.

The North Koreans won a cash prize of US$20,000 ,while Singapore and South Korea U23collected US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively.

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North Korea beat Vietnam 2-0, taking Sonha Cup

HCMC – North Korea won the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Sonha Cup after beating hosts Vietnam 2-0 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday.

Singapore secured second place defeating South Korea’s U23 2-0 in an earlier game on the same day in the round robin tournament.

Vietnam wanted to keep cup at home, needing to win by an almost impossible three goals in the game. The hosts, with only one point from the two opening games, needed that decisive win, but North Korea that had four points from their previous win and draw only needed to stay within two points of the hosts for victory.

The home side had suffered a 0-2 loss to South Korea U23 in the opener and tied 1-1 with Singapore in the second game, while North Korea earned a 2-1 win over Singapore in the first game and tied 1-1 with South Korea U23 in the second game.

The North Korean team participated in the friendly tournament with their strongest squad. North Korea were considered hot favourites with six of their best players, who attended the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in June, in their lineup.

Though Vietnam started the game without striker Nguyen Viet Thang, midfielder Pham Thanh Luong and midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, the Vietnamese side were confident as they had the home ground advantage.

Starting quickly, Vietnam began the first half with more attacks and stronger pressure but their forwards missed the net.

The visitors started the game slowly managing a few chances but the first half ended goalless.

The Vietnamese players dominated the ball possession in the first minutes of the second half but North Korea surprised in the 55th when Myong Cha Hyon netted for his team with a header after receiving the ball from Ri Pyong Chol in the left wing.

Their joy was doubled just 10 minutes later when Rin Jin Hyok beat the Vietnamese keeper Duong Hong Son with an unstoppable kick after a great cross from teammate Kang Kuk Chol, who beat the defenders’ offside trap.

Despite strong attacks in the last minutes, the Vietnamese were left frustrated by the defense without a point.

North Korea finished the four-day, four-team round-robin tournament in top spot with seven points. Singapore and South Korea U23 both ended on four points with Singaporean securing second spot on goal difference. The host team came fourth.

The North Koreans won a cash prize of US$20,000 ,while Singapore and South Korea U23collected US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively.

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Vietnam hold 1-1 draw with Singapore at Sonha Cup

HCMC – The Vietnamese national squad tied 1-1 with Singapore in the second game of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Sonha Cup on Thursday at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi while South Korea U23 also did the same with North Korea, securing the top spot in the four-team tournament in the earlier game.

The Vietnamese side began the game with a changed lineup after a 0-2 loss to South Korea U23 in their opener. Midfielder Phan Van Tai Em and defender Huynh Quang Thanh made his debut at the tournament, replacing midfielder Le Tan Tai defender Dang Van Phong from the beginning. Defender Le Phuoc Tu and midfielder Pham Thanh Luong  also played in the first minutes.

Though the game was only a friendly, the competition between hosts Vietnam and archrivals Singapore is always fiercely competitive, moreover, the tournament is considered the final test for both Vietnam and Singapore before the Southeast Asian championship/AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, which will be held in Vietnam and Indonesia from December 1 to 29.

The chief coach of the national football team Coach Henrique Calisto and his squad made their final preparations to defend the AFF-Suzuki Cup where Vietnam have been drawn in Group B with Singapore, the Philippines and Myanmar.

Under heavy pressure from local fans, hosts Vietnam put their rivals under a lot of pressure, while the Singaporean squad, with height advantage, looked composed and confident throughout and caused the home team problems with their rare counter attacks.

Although the Vietnamese players had the most possession over the first minutes and managed to create dozens of chances, the Singaporean side defense resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet.

Singapore surprisingly took an advance in a rare attack when Shi Jiayi scored for his team in the 25th minute after receiving the ball from Duric in the penalty box.

In the second half, coach Henrique Calisto made some key changes when Nguyen Huy Hoang and Le Sy Manh made their debut, replacing  Le Tan Tai and Nguyen Minh Phuong in the first minutes of the second half. Nguyen Trong Hoang replaced Pham Thanh Luong in the 58th minute.

Although the Vietnamese players had the most possession over the second half and managed to create dozens of chances, however, the spectators waiting for 30 minutes into the second half to celebrate the hosts’ leveling when Phan Van Tai Em netted for his team with a comfortable kick after receiving the ball from midfielder Le Sy Manh in the penalty box.

In the earlier game on Thursday, North Korea tied 1-1 with South Korea U23. Ri Myong Jun scored for the North Korean side just three minutes into the game while  Jung Woo Young equalized for South Korea in the 37th minute with a penalty kick.

With the draw, North Korea and South Korea U23 earned four points each but the South Korean side secured the top spot thanks to the goal difference. Both Vietnam and the Singapore’s hopes of winning  the cup were faded when they secured just one each from two games.

The champions will be decided on Saturday when South Korea U23 will play Singapore at 5:00 p.m. and Vietnam take on North Korea at 7:00 p.m. in the final games.

The national football teams from Singapore, North Korea and hosts Vietnam together with the U23 team of South Korea are competing in the annual tournament. The four teams are playing in a round-robin tournament with the team that gets the most points being declared the championship. The tournament is taking place from Tuesday to Saturday in Hanoi.

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VN face tough task after drawing with Singapore

HA NOI — Viet Nam and Singapore earned their first points at the Viet Nam Football Federation's SONHA Cup yesterday after the two teams drew 1-1 at My Dinh Stadium in Ha Noi.

The host team followed a new game plan that differed significantly to their strategy against South Korea two days ago, when Viet Nam suffered a 2-0 defeat.

This time, the host team set the pace and control the ball most of the time, despite only being able to score once from a corner kick in the second half of the match.

Singapore were on the defensive but managed to score first, at the 26th minute.

The goal was thanks to a combination play between two imported players. Aleksandar Duric, a former Bosnia and Herzegovina citizen, took the ball to the box before passing it to Chinese-born Shi Jiayi, who shot the ball straight into the net.

Vietnamese goalkeeper Duong Hong Son got his fingers to the ball, but was unable to stop the powerful shot from close range.

The goal did not rally the Vietnamese players to immediately lift their game, with several good opportunities to equalise carelessly missed.

The situation for the host team seemed to get worse when the side lost striker Nguyen Viet Thang at the 31st minute due to an injury.

The second saw Viet Nam continue its attack, threatening Singapore's goal but unable to score.

Captain Phan Van Tai Em, replaced striker Sy Manh and halfback Nguyen Vu Phong helped rally the team intensify their assaults.

Tai Em could level the score for Viet Nam at the 76th minute after a corner kick. Tai Em took the ball after it bounced out of a chaotic penalty area, converting with a quick strike into the net.

For his efforts, Tai Em won the US$1,000 bonus from the tournament's sponsors for the first Vietnamese player to score.

Viet Nam and Singapore will face each other again at the coming Southeast Asian Football Federation Cup in December.

Earlier in the SONHA Cup, a clash between North Korea and South Korea also resulted in a 1-1 draw.

After two matches, South Korea rank on the top of the table with four points, North Korea follow with four points as well, losing out to South Korea on goal difference. Singapore and Viet Nam are third and fourth, respectively.

Viet Nam still have a chance to win the cup but only if they can score plenty of goals against North Korea who are considered the strongest defensive team of the tournament while South Korea lose to Singapore in the other game. — VNS

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South Korea U23 beat Vietnam in Sonha Cup opener

HCMC – South Korea U-23 beat the Vietnamese national squad 2-0 in their opening game of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Sonha Cup on Tuesday at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

The two sides began the game with their strongest lineups. Vietnam began the match with attacks from both wings with Le Tan Tai on the right and Nguyen Vu Phong on the left.

The visitors, with height advantage, put more attacks from the start of the game in search of a goal and their players dominated the ball possession in the first half. The home side also created some scoring chances but the Korean side defense resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet.

The Korean missed all scoring chances in the first half though the Vietnamese players made many mistakes. The best after 34 minutes in the first half when Jeon Hyun Cheol’s kicks hit the goalpost.

After the break, Vietnamese coach Henrique Calisto replaced key players. Midfielders Tran Duy Quang, Nguyen Trong Hoang and Le Phuoc Tu replaced Nguyen Vu Phong, Nguyen Minh Phuong and Nguyen Minh Chau.

The change prompted the home side to launch more attacks toward the Korean goalmouth in the first minutes of the second half. However, the Vietnamese players just created some good chances.

The Vietnamese defenders continuously made many mistakes in the second half. Jung Woo Young had a good chance to open the score in the 63rd minute and the substitution easily beat goalkeeper Duong Hong Son in a free kick from outside the penalty box.

Jung Woo Young nearly scored again for the Korean side in the 78th minute when his free kick hit the cross bar before Kim Min Je finalized the game at 2-0 in the 90th minute.

In the earlier opening game, the North Koreans showed why they were favorites as they earned a 2-1 victory over Singapore in the last minutes despite Singapore opened the score in the first half. 

The national football teams from Singapore, North Korea and hosts Vietnam together with the U23 team of South Korea are competing in the annual tournament. The tournament is considered the final test for both Vietnam and Singapore before the Southeast Asian championship/AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, which will be held in Vietnam and Indonesia from December 1 to 29.

Tomorrow’s matches at My Dinh National Stadium are North Korea vs. South Korea U23 at 5:00 p.m. and Vietnam vs. Singapore at 7:00 p.m.

The four teams are competing in a round-robin tournament, which will end in Hanoi on Saturday.

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North Korea draws with Vietnam to win Millennium Football Cup

HCMC – North Korea won the 1,000th Thang Long-Hanoi Football Cup 2010 after a goalless draw with hosts Vietnam during the tournament’s final match at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Friday, picking up US$20,000 in cash and a trophy.

A draw was enough for North Korea to win the round-robin tournament. Kuwait’s U23s had also tied goalless with Australia in an earlier game the same day.

To win the cup, Vietnam had to beat North Korea who had six points from the two opening games, while the hosts only had three points from one win and one loss.

The home side had beaten Kuwait U23 3-0 in the opener but lost 0-2 to Australia in the second game, while North Korea beat Australia 1-0 in the first game and did the same with Kuwait in the second game.

Vietnam, who began with a changed lineup after their loss to Australia, showed great determination to win the game.

Defender Nguyen Huy Hoang made his debut at the game, replacing defender Le Phuoc Tu from the beginning, midfielders Nguyen Minh Chau and Nguyen Vu Phong also played in the first minutes. Nguyen Trong Hoang came in for Nguyen Quang Hai in the middle.

Vietnam laid on the pressure in the opening minutes and dominated possession in the first half but were up against the strong defensive line that North Korea set up and some good saves by the North Korean goalie.

The visitors, who had six players that had attended the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in June, mounted pressure on the Vietnamese defenders in the last minutes of the first half and continuously dominated the attack in the second.

The Vietnamese players rallied to create some chances in the game’s closing minutes but the Korean side’s defense resiliently held out to keep a clean score sheet. 

Korea won with seven points. Vietnam finished second with US$10,000 with four points from one win, one draw and one loss. The Australian side came third with three points and pocketed US$5,000 while the bottom-placed Kuwait got only one point.

The tournament was a test for Vietnam before the Southeast Asian championship - AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, co-hosted by Indonesia and Vietnam from December 1 to 29.

In related news, the Vietnamese Olympic football squad together with the Olympic teams from Iran, Malaysia and Singapore will complete at the International Football Tournament/ Eximbank 2010 Cup in HCMC this week.

The round-robin tournament will be held at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC from September 28 to October 2. It also celebrates the 1,000 anniversary of the capital city.

The Vietnamese Olympic football squad secured two wins over Cambodia in the friendly matches before taking part in the friendly tournament. The Vietnamese side beat Cambodian national squad 2-0 on September 18 and they also defeated the Cambodian squad 3-0 in three days later.

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N Korea confident of winning Hanoi football cup

North Korean fans cheer their team during a Thang Long-Hanoi Cup match at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi September 22

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Favorites North Korea are hopeful of lifting the Thang Long-Hanoi Cup when they take on hosts Vietnam in the final match of the four-team event Friday.

In the tournament being played in Hanoi to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the city, the Koreans have won both their matches, scoring identical 1-0 victories over Australia and Kuwait.

They need just one point against Vietnam to assure themselves of the title.

Kim Jong Su, chief of the North Korean football delegation, said fans can guess what will happen in the North Korea – Vietnam game from the fact that Australia defeated the hosts 2-0.

The Korean side have been cheered on by some 20 young women working at the embassy and Pyongyang restaurant in Hanoi dressed in the traditional Hanbok.

North Korea have six points while Vietnam and Australia with three points each.

The Vietnamese team saw the video tapes of Korea’s two matches yesterday.

Except Phuoc Tu who is out with two yellow cards, the rest of team is fit and available for selection.

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Chinese girls win Asian junior volleyball champs

HCMC – The Chinese team won the 15th Asian Junior Women’s Volleyball Championship, also called Salonpas Cup 2010, which concluded on Monday at HCMC’s Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasium.

China won the international youth volleyball tournament title after defeating archrivals South Korea 3-0 in the final game.

South Korea played well in the beginning of the first set but eight-time champions China recouped strongly to win the set 25-18. A stronger Chinese team dominated the next set with the score at 25-21 then again dominated in the third 25-17.

Former champion Japan overcame Thailand 25-22, 25-19, 26-24 to take number three place and Chinese Taipei beat Kazakhstan 3-0 to come fifth.

Third-placed Japan together with champion China and runners-up South Korea also secured three tickets for the World Youth Volleyball Championships 2011 in Turkey.

Meanwhile, hosts Vietnam finished eighth after losing to Indonesia 16-25, 19-25, 13-25. Vietnam needs to invest more in women’s volleyball if it wants to maintain its number two rank in Southeast Asia after their poor performance in the tournament.

The best player of the tournament was awarded to Liu Yanhan from China. The top scorer went to Park Jeong-ah from South Korea while Mari Horikawa of Japan won the best serve and spiker. Yang Zhou of China was voted the best blocker and his teammate Wu Bei the best setter while Sumiko Mori of Japan won best libero and Japanese girl Futami Azusa was voted the most beautiful player.

Fifteen countries and territories across Asia participated in the Championship including Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and host Vietnam.

The teams were divided into four pools and competed at Tan Binh and Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasiums from September 12 to 20. Groups played in the round-robin format with two top teams advancing to the next round.

The teams from Vietnam, Kazakhstan and New Zealand were in Pool A while Pool B comprised of top-notched Asian women teams - Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. Thailand, Fiji, Chinese Taipei and India competed in Pool C and Pool D had Iran, China, Australia and Korea.

This was the second time Vietnam has organized the event. The first time took place in Phan Dinh Phung Gymnasium eight years ago. Both were sponsored by Hisamitsu Vietnam.

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Middlesbrough trip to North Korea revives 1966 memories

80,000 of workers and students perform at North Korea’s propaganda spectacle called the Arirang, at the May Day stadium in Pyongyang in 2007

The unlikely sporting link between English town Middlesbrough and North Korea will be renewed this week when a team of women footballers head off into the unknown for a week-long visit.

Middlesbrough Ladies have been invited to play two matches in Pyongyang against local club sides with team manager Marrie Wieczorek expecting her players to make a bigger stir there than they do back home on England's north-east coast.

"At home we get crowds of 30 or 40, and they're all family, but from what I've heard we could be playing in a stadium that holds 35,000. Pride is a huge thing in North Korea and I expect that my girls will be playing in front of more fans than they would have ever experienced before," Wieczorek told Reuters.

"I'm sure they will treat our visit as a showcase occasion to the outside world.

“I imagine that their pride in their country means they will be really up for our visit and trying hard to win.”

North Korea and Middlesbrough have been inexorably linked since 1966 when the North Koreans famously beat Italy during the World Cup finals at the club's former Ayresome Park stadium.

"You don't hear much about Middlesbrough in this country, but in North Korea it's linked with one of their greatest sporting moments," said Wieczorek. "I think it's the only reason we are being invited into the country because of our links with North Korea.”

“I've heard from the British Embassy that the people in the North Korea Ministry of Sport speak very warmly of Middlesbrough."

While in Pyongyang Middlesbrough's players, aged between 17 and 25, and coaching staff will meet the surviving members of the 1966 squad, including Pak Do Ik, the scorer of the winning goal against Italy. They will also coach schoolchildren.

"Everyone is so excited about the trip. It's such a fantastic opportunity for all of us to visit a country that we could never have imagined getting to see.”

A few local rules will have to be obeyed though.

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FIFA dismiss North Korea witch hunt claims

North Korea's Jong Tae Se (R) and Portugal's Pedro Mendes head the ball during the 2010 World Cup group G match at Green Point stadium in Cape Town June 21, 2010

Photo: Reuters

FIFA has dismissed allegations that North Korea’s coach and players were punished for losing all three of their games at this year’s World Cup.

Asian media reported the side had been publicly shamed after returning from South Africa having conceded 12 goals in the first round. Soccer’s governing body FIFA insisted it was business as usual for North Korea and that no such witch hunt had taken place.

“The (North Korean) FA assures FIFA that Mr Kim Jong Hun, head coach of the national team, and all the other members of the national team are training as usual,” FIFA said in a statement.

“The association also indicates that there were no sanctions to the coach and that the reports on this matter were baseless.

“With all of the information at hand, and having checked all of sources, FIFA has decided to close the matter.”

North Korea lost 2-1 to Brazil, were humiliated 7-0 by Portugal and easily beaten 3-0 by Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

South Korean media claimed Kim and his team were forced onto a stage at the People’s Palace of Culture in front of 400 government officials, students and journalists.

Reports said the players were subjected to six hours of criticism for their performance at the World Cup, their first appearance since 1966.

Election fair

FIFA added that an election for the president of the North Korea FA was also considered to be within its rules.

“The (North Korean) FA clarified that the election of the president of the association held on June 19 was held in accordance with the statutes of the association and were not affected by any result of the team at the World Cup,” said FIFA.

“At the time of the election the team had only played one match against Brazil and had shown a good level of play.”

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