VietNam Culture: Malaysia

Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts

Friday, January 21, 2011

Minh enters Malaysia Open quarter-finals

Vietnamese world No 8 Nguyen Tien Minh easily overcame Kazushi Yamada of Japan yesterday at the Proton Malaysia Open Super Series in Kuala Lumpur.

Minh dispatched Yamada in 48 minutes, beating the unseeded player, 21-18, 21-18.

His next rival will be the winner of the match between world No 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Hong Kong's Yun Hu, who played late yesterday.

The Malaysia Open has lured many top world top players, who are vying for this year's prize of $400,000.

At the previous Malaysian Open Minh was knocked out in the semi-final round by Lee, who then went on to take the men's singles title.

Viet Nam's baseball team set for Little League tourney in Guam

Viet Nam's baseball team will take part in the Little League Junior Division Series in Guam in July.

Viet Nam, who triumphed 13-8 in the Viet Nam Baseball Classic final against Indonesia, will represent the Asia-Pacific region at the world competition.

Later, Viet Nam will host the Little League Asia Pacific Championships Junior Division for under-14 players.

This under-14 tournament will be held at Nha Trang beach, Khanh Hoa Province, in July.

It is expected that nine teams will compete and the winner will earn a berth in the world series in the US in August. — VNS

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Minh wins first Malaysia Open match

Nguyen Tien Minh opened his new year with a victory in the first round of the Proton Malaysia Open Super Series in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The nation's top badminton player defeated Japanese Sho Sasaki 21-10, 25-23 in 42 minutes. It was an easy match for the Vietnamese who is ranked No 8 in world against his unseeded rival. Minh will meet Japanese, Kazushi Yamada in the second round today. Yamada earlier beat Chetan Anand of India 21-14, 21-17

Minh is the only Vietnamese representative left as his female team-mate Nguyen Thu Huyen was eliminated in the first qualifier on Tuesday. Huyen lost 17-21, 19-21 to Malay Yi Lyn Evelyn Chee in only 30 minutes.

VN to host women's volleyball tourney

Viet Nam is to host the Asian Volleyball Women's Clubs Championships this year following an announcement by the Asian Volleyball Confederation.

The tournament will be held from May 14-25 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Details of participants and the schedule have not yet been announced.

In the previous event in Indonesia, Thailand's Federbrau beat Zhetysu Almaty of Kazakhstan 3-1 to take the female title.

Vietnamese representative VTV Binh Dien Long An ranked seventh overall.

The men's tournament will be in held Palembang, Indonesia, from July 23-31. — VNS

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Malaysia claim first title at regional football

Malaysian footballers celebrate their victory at the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup in Jakarta on December 29, 2010 after winning Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate

Photo: AFP

Despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Indonesia on Wednesday, Malaysia still won their first title at Southeast Asian football championship with a 4-2 win in total after two legs.

Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat saved an early penalty and Safee Sali netted his fifth goal of the tournament to take Malaysia to the final victory.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Indonesia staged in the game more aggressively in a bid to cut the deficit.

Mohammad Nasuha pulled back a goal with 18 minutes remaining and Muhammad Ridwan scored with a deflected effort two minutes from time to give Indonesia the win.

Malaysian Ashari Samsuddin launched the ball forward to Safee, who outpaced the Indonesian defense before lashing the ball into the top left corner of the net for his tournament-leading fifth goal.

The crowd, which included Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, had filled every seat in the 85,000-capacity stadium nearly two hours before kick-off, hoping to roar their team on to the quick start that they needed to turn the tie around after their decisive loss in the first leg.

The Indonesian continued to press but could not manage another breakthrough until the 88th minute when Ridwan's shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off a Malaysian defender on its way past Khairul.

Bambang had a chance to net a third for the Indonesians in stoppage time but his free-kick was well saved by Khairul as the Malaysians easily hung on to claim the title.

Malaysia win their first ASEAN Cup

Mohd Safee Sali of Malaysia (right) scores one goal in the AFF Suzuki Cup second leg final match in Jakarta. Malaysia win 4-2 on aggregate while Safee became the best score of the tournament with fifth goal. — AFP/VNA Photo

HA NOI — Malaysia beat Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate to win the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup for the first time in the country's history yesterday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

A loss of 1-2 to the hosts in the final's second leg match could not stop Malaysia from opening a new chapter in the history of the regional football tournament which up until now had been dominated by three-time winners Thailand and Singapore.

Mohd Safee Sali opened the scoring for Malaysia nine minutes after the break. Until then Indonesia had made things difficult for their opponents, attacking aggressively with a view to levelling the three-goal deficit they faced after the first leg match.

The talented player who scored twice in the semi-final against Viet Nam got his goal after he received a long-range pass and shot truly into the net.

The goal made him the top striker of the tournament with five goals to his name.

Indonesia, with their President watching on, found their equaliser in the 71th minute when defender Mohammad Nasuha scored from near the edge of the box.

His team doubled their tally 17 minutes later when Muhammad Ridwan scored his third goal at the tournament. His strong shot deflected off a Malaysian player before entering the net.

Malaysia are surprise winners of the tournament. At the previous championship two years ago they were ousted in the qualifying round.

This time they were placed in the ‘group of death' together with Thailand and Indonesia and after their humiliating 1-5 loss to hosts Indonesia in the group stage, no one gave them a chance.

The team only made it through to the knockout stage after Thailand, the most powerful team in Southeast Asia, were eliminated from the championship.

However, after that they had a complete reversal of form. First there was a great 2-0 victory over defending champion Viet Nam in the semi-final and then a 3-0 victory over Indonesia in the final's first leg on Sunday.

It has been be a very successful year for Malaysia with two important titles going to them in the last twelve months. Last December Malaysia defeated Viet Nam 1-0 to claim the Southeast Asian Games Cup.

Yesterdays' match did not help Indonesia's coach Alfred Riedl shake off his ‘Mr Silver' moniker. Once again, he pocketed a silver medal, just as he has done on every single occasion he has taken a team to a tournament final. The previous occasions were when he worked with Viet Nam several years back. — VNS

Monday, December 20, 2010

Malaysia close in on AFF Cup

HA NOI — Malaysia sent Viet Nam crashing out of the AFF Suzuki Cup with a goalless draw in their semi-final second leg at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

Malaysia made the final of the biennial championship for the first time in 14 years following the 2-0 advantage they earned in Kuala Lumpur four days ago.

After the game, chief coach K. Rajagobal said that although the football might not have been entertaining, they totally deserved the result.

"I cannot express what I feel right now. The players showed the real ‘harimau' – the Malaysian tiger. We knew that it was going to be a tough match but we were confident and we were disciplined in defence and followed the game plan," said Rajagobal.

"The first 15 to 20 minutes were crucial and we knew if we conceded a goal it would spell trouble for us. Our defence was good considering two of them are under 21 years old, it speaks volumes about their future.

"I told them tonight, we must play simple and while it might look ugly, we just have to make the clearance, no matter what. Our captain [Safiq Rahim] is a naturally attacking player but tonight, he was told to play deeper and he did."

The onus was always going to be on Viet Nam and in front of a sell-out crowd of 40,000, the home team wasted no time in pushing forward from South Korean referee Kim Sang-woo's first whistle.

The return of Nguyen Trong Hoang gave more bite on the left flank and he made Malaysian leftback Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar work overtime to ensure his crosses did not make into the Malaysian box.

In the ninth minute, Hoang shot through a sea of legs but there were no takers at the far post.

Barely a minute later, tragedy struck for Viet Nam with Phan Van Tai Em stretchered off with a suspected broken arm following a clash with Malaysia's Mohd Safee Sali.

His replacement, Le Tan Tai, took over where he had left off and his double shot saw Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat rise to the occasion.

Malaysia's only chance in the first half was a curling shot from Norshahrul Idlan Talaha which narrowly missed the upright.

Viet Nam did not let up on the pressure in the second half but they just couldn't seem to find a way past Khairul as he stood firm to frustrate the home team.

In the 62nd minute, Viet Nam should have taken the lead but lanky striker Nguyen Viet Thang could only head Pham Thanh Luong's cross tamely into the path of Khairul.

About ten minutes later, Viet Nam's frustration was complete when Luong took a dive in the box leaving the referee with little choice but to show him his second yellow card of the game.

"I'm responsible for the loss, don't criticise the players. If you need to criticise anyone, criticise me," said Viet Nam chief coach Henrique Calisto at the post match press conference.

"We did not lose here, we lost in Kuala Lumpur and I think that we were the better team over both legs. Sometimes, we win and sometimes we lose – that's life. Show me a coach who never loses.

"The loss of Luong was unfortunate although I agreed with the referee's decision."

Malaysia will meet with Indonesia who defeated the Philippines 1-0 in the second semi-final match yesterday. —VNS

Friday, December 17, 2010

Malaysia beat Vietnam 2-0 in AFF’s first leg semifinals

Malaysia's Safee Sali (front) celebrates scoring their first goal against Vietnam during their semi-final first leg match of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) 2010 soccer tournament in Kuala Lumpur 0n Wednesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – Defending champions Vietnam face a difficult task to advance to the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after losing 0-2 to Malaysia their first leg semifinals at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday.

Safee Sali scored both goals for the home side in the second half. The Malaysian striker twice beat Vietnam goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong with a header in the 60th minute and an unstoppable kick in penalty area in the 79th minute.

At the pre-match press conference, Vietnam’s coach Henrique Calisto and Malaysia’s coach K. Rajagobal both expressed their strong winning determinations on the threshold of the crucial clash between the two sides.

Vietnam began the game without two defenders, Doan Viet Cuong and Huynh Quang Thanh, and midfielder Phan Van Tai Em, due to injuries, while midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, who had scored two goals, had been given a red card in the game against Singapore last Wednesday.

Vietnam’s coach Calisto made some changes with defenders Nguyen Huy Hoang and Tran Dinh Dong coming for Doan Viet Cuong and Huynh Quang Thanh. Midfielder Le Tan Tai replaced Phan Van Tai Em while midfielder Nguyen Thanh Hung made his debut from the beginning.

Though backed by the enthusiastic support from Malaysian spectators, Vietnamese players began in high spirit and were very confident from the beginning. Coach Calisto’s players were on the attack from the start of the game in search for a goal in the first minutes while Malaysia relied on rare counter attacks.

Calisto made a change in the second half when midfielder Nguyen Minh Chau replaced Phan Thanh Hung. The visitors continuously dominated the ball possession in the first minutes of the second half, however, the Vietnamese forwarders wasted their scoring chances.

Vietnam goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong, who was a hero as he denied all Singapore shots and headers with several brilliant saves in the final game in group stage, made a serious mistake in the game when the goalkeeper let Safee Sali’s header slip through his hands and into the net in the 60th minute.

Safee Sali doubled for the Malaysian side in the 79th minute as the striker netted in the penalty box after goalie Bui Tan Truong saved the ball from captain Safiq Rahim’s kick.

Though striker Nguyen Viet Thang, a first-choice striker of coach Calisto, and midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai replaced Le Tan Tai and Pham Thanh Luong in the last minutes. Vietnamese players created some scoring chances in the last minutes but their players also lost all the chances, leaving the score at 2-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the game.

With the home win, Malaysia moved closer to reaching the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation Cup, also called AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 final. The Malaysian side even suffer a 1-0 loss in the second leg of the semifinals in Hanoi on Saturday enough to qualify the final game.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese side need to win in the second clash with the score at least 2-0 in their home ground on Saturday to keep their hope of reaching the final of the biennial tournament.

The other semi-final game between host Indonesia and the Philippines will be played on Thursday and Sunday at the Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Calisto not too perturbed by 2-0 loss to Malaysia

Vietnam football coach Henrique Calisto

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese coach Henrique Calisto has not lost hope despite his team’s 2-0 defeat to Malaysia in the first-leg semifinal of the Suzuki Cup Wednesday.

He said in Kuala Lumpur the team did not play their normal game and were unable to control the midfield, he told the media after the loss.

Do you think Vietnam can advance after the 2-0 defeat?

[A score of] 2-1 or 1-0 would have reflected the true situation. If we had scored, it would be much easier. It is very difficult now because Vietnam have to score three goals or more [in the second-leg match at My Dinh Stadium] to eliminate Malaysia.

If they can score two goals against us, we can score two goals in Hanoi. We must believe, but it will not be easy. If my key players recover from injuries, I will play them in the second leg.

What do you think about the referee?

He sometimes failed to control the game well. But we don’t blame him for our defeat. We made some crucial mistakes and gave away two goals. This is a game. So, it is normal for goalkeepers to make mistakes. This is life.

Were you surprised by Malaysia’s performance?

No. They were well organized and have good players.

Coach Mai Duc Chung:Vietnam will advance

Vietnam played very well in the first half. Midfielders Minh Phuong, Thanh Luong, and Vu Phong controlled the ball skillfully and made precise passes. Though we had more scoring opportunities, I regret we could not find a goal. Malaysia were lukewarm and did not create many chances.

If we could have controlled the match better in the second half, we could have won. However, the turning point of the match was the crucial error by goalkeeper Tan Truong. He did not remain focused and allowed Safee's header to go through his hands into the goal.

But that is life. After that, the hosts played long balls to take full advantage of the speed and strength of forwards Safid and Safee.

But I do believe that Vietnam can advance into the finals because we play the second leg at the My Dinh stadium where we trounced Myanmar 7-1. That will be a very big advantage.

Malaysia beat Viet Nam 2-0 in AFF

Best foot forward: Midfielder Nguyen Vu Phong (right) attempts to get past a Malaysian defender in the team's semi-final first leg encounter of the ASEAN Football Championship, AFF-Suzuki Cup in Kuala Lumpar yesterday. Malaysia won 2-0. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Striker Safee Sali's brace saw Malaysia beat Viet Nam 2-0 in the first leg of the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup semi-final yesterday.

The loss will mean defending champions Viet Nam will face a hard task in the second leg match at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

Although starting the game well in the first minutes, the Vietnamese side did little to trouble the well-organised Malaysian defence.

In the 15th minute, captain Minh Phuong launched a grass-skimming 25m rocket heading for the far corner, but Malaysian keeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat made a good save.

The hosts replied five minutes later when Safee's powerful header tested Vietnamese keeper Bui Tan Truong.

Midfielder Vu Phong closed the goalless first half time with a free kick in the 40th minute, which was pushed away by goalie Khairul.

After the break, Coach Henrique Calisto brought on midfielder Nguyen Minh Chau and striker Nguyen Viet Thang to try and force a goal; however, they failed to have much of an impact against Malaysia's well-organised team.

Safee gave Malaysia the lead in the 61st minute as his well-taken free kick beat Vietnamese keeper Truong.

Truong once again held some of the blame for the second Malaysian goal in the 80th minute.

Midfielder Safiq Bin Rahim in a rapid attack fired a 25m shot from the right hand edge of the penalty area, but despite Truong comfortably getting a hand to ball, the Vietnamese contrived to palm it out to a borderline off-side Safee who doubled his goals for the night with a nicely placed shot through the despairing Vietnamese keeper.

Despite Vietnam attempting to rally for the last 10 minutes of the match, sloppy passing and a lack of urgency meant they created few chances of note.

Indonesia will host the Philippines in the other semi-final in Jakarta today. — VNS

Vietnam confident ahead of showdown with Malaysia

HCMC – The Vietnamese national football team is confident ahead of the first leg semifinals game against Malaysia in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on Wednesday though many key team members won’t be playing.

Head coach Henrique Calisto said he was pleased with his players for securing the semifinals berth and believed they would beat Malaysia.

Calisto told the media that injuries had forced his team to make many important changes with Nguyen Huy Hoang, Nguyen Minh Chau and Tran Dinh Dong making their debut in the game.

Veteran player, Hoang will replace halfback Huynh Quang Thanh, who suffered an ankle injury in the match against Singapore, while Tran Dinh Dong will replace Doan Viet Cuong and Nguyen Minh Chau will replace Phan Van Tai Em.

Defender Doan Viet Cuong and midfielder Phan Van Tai Em remained doubtful for the game in Malaysia as neither player could train on Sunday. Viet Cuong, who showed a good performance against Singapore despite being injured, has still to fully recover while his teammate Tai Em is also suffering from a knee injury.

Vietnam also lost midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, who played well in the qualifying round in Vietnam. Hoang has been suspended after being given a red card in the game against Singapore last Wednesday.

However, striker Nguyen Viet Thang, who has recovered from an injury, may be returning to join strikers Nguyen Anh Duc and Le Sy Manh. Thang, a first-choice striker of head coach Calisto, was not on the list made at the beginning of the tournament.

The Portuguese coach remains optimistic about the fitness of goal keeper Bui Tan Truong, midfielders Nguyen Vu Phong and Pham Thanh Luong, captain Nguyen Minh Phuong who all played well in the qualifying round.

The Vietnamese side reached the semifinals as they finished as Group B leaders with six points ahead of runners-up Philippines, who collected five points. Vietnam crushed Myanmar 7-1 in the opener, and then lost 0-2 to Philippines and had a 1-0 win over archrivals Singapore in their final group stage game.

Meanwhile, hosts Indonesia came through the group stage unbeaten to top Group A while Malaysia were the runners-up in the group. Malaysia earned four points after losing 1-5 to Indonesia, drawing 0-0 with Thailand and earning 5-1 win over Laos in their group stage.

The 2010 ASEAN Football Federation Cup, also called AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, is co-hosted by Vietnam and Indonesia and attended by eight countries in the region - Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

The semifinals are set for December 15, 16, 28 and 19 on a home and away basis. The two legs for the finals will be on December 26 and 29 also on a home and away basis.

The other semi-final between host Indonesia and the Philippines will be played on Thursday and Sunday at the Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Malaysia look to beat Vietnam 2-0 today

Malaysian national football team at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010

Photo: AFF

Malaysian experts and press are looking forward a 2-0 win over Vietnam today in the Suzuki Cup 2010’s first-leg semifinal before arriving at Hanoi to play the second-leg match.

But their former coach Wan Hassan, who used to lead Malaysia to the final at the AFF Cup 1996, admitted it was very hard to defeat Vietnam.

However, “it’s not impossible. We used to win them 1-0 in the opening match at the Sea Games in Jakarta in 1997.”

He advised Malaysia’s coach Krishnasamy Rajagobal to press in on the Vietnamese players, allowing them little space in between so as to frustrate their tactics.

“A 2-0 victory over Vietnam will offer Malaysia big advantage in Hanoi,” said Rajagobal. “However, we'll be careful and try to keep a clean score sheet because Vietnam desire to score.”

Rajagobal is worried his players are not experienced enough.

“Only ten out of 23 players who used to compete in Sea Games 25 are serving the team [Malaysia] while the rest here are around 19 or 20 years old and they need more experience.”

Malaysian media predicted a tough game for their side.

“I think the game may end in a draw,” said correspondent Harris Rajadin from Berita Harian. “Vietnam are strong and they eliminated Singapore with a single goal, set up just after only two passes.”

Correspondent Sayed Ismail from TV3 TV Channel forecast Malaysia have a 70 percent chance of winning the game.

“It is very difficult to defeat Vietnam, but I think Rajagobal will have good tactics,” said The Star Online’s correspondent Eric Samuel.

Devidner Singh from New Straits Times is confident Malaysians will win because “they are in Kuala Lumpur, not in Hanoi. I guess Malaysia will win 1-0.”

Vietnam wary of Malaysian coach’s praise

Malaysia's coach Krishnasamy Rajagobal

Vietnamese players have said they will not be lulled into complacency by the Malaysian coach’s claim Vietnam will easily beat his team in the first-leg of the Suzuki Cup semifinal in Kuala Lumpur today.

Krishnasamy Rajagobal had said earlier Vietnam will sail into the final.

“I am impressed with… his skills in controlling the match, making precise passes, and hitting dangerous free kicks,” he had said of the Vietnamese captain Minh Phuong.

Phuong shrugged off the compliment saying he is not a star and just wants to do his best for the team.

Midfielder Vu Phong is wary of the sweet talk.

“I have a feeling that Malaysia is selling us a dummy, especially with its coach paying us such compliments,” he said while thanking Rajagobal for his kind words.

He would never underestimate Malaysia, he said.

“If we show respect to the opposition, it is easy for us to achieve good results.”

“We will try our hardest to beat Malaysia,” he added when Vietnamese fans are heading for Malaysia in huge numbers to watch the match.

Another team member said: “It is not easy to conquer Malaysia’s young players. They are strong and have nothing to lose. Therefore, if we underestimate them, we will pay the price.”

Calisto is wary of a team that stole the gold medal from Vietnam at the Sea Games two years ago.

Rajagobal: We qualified from group A without some key players. Fortunately, they have fully recovered from injuries for the semifinals. We are determined to beat Vietnam 1-0 or 2-0 to take an advantage into the second-leg in My Dinh.

"We will do our best for a berth in the final," he added.

Calisto: “We will not play for a draw against Malaysia because it is very dangerous to play that way. They have young players who are clever at controlling the game, especially forwards Fadee and Talaha.

I don’t have many choices because of the absence of four key players with injury. If we want to get a good result, we should always be in full command.”

Vietnam coach talks tactics ahead of Malaysia semis

Vietnam's coach Henrique Calisto

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnam’s coach Calisto said his side have made careful drills for the first-leg semifinal clash at the Suzuki Cup with Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur today despite the absence of four key players due to injuries.

“There will be apparent changes in the tactics of Vietnam during the first-leg semifinal match with Malaysia due to the absence of four key players -- or a third of the team,” the Portuguese Henrique Calisto said.

Who are on the bench today?

Without defenders Viet Cuong and Quang Thanh and midfielders Trong Hoang and Tai Em, we can’t introduce our strongest line-up for this important game.

They will need at least 10 more days to recover.

I know Malaysia also face injuries but I don’t care much about that. My biggest concern now is to introduce our best team possible.

It seems that you made many changes during training in the past days?

Exactly. Minh Phuong will replace Tai Em in the midfield to pair with Thanh Hung in the center. Hung is strong in making long shots and surprising rivals to stir up disorder in their box with his dribbling skill.

Dinh Dong is set to fill in the left-back of Viet Cuong and Huy Hoang may replace Quang Thanh on the right-back position.

You venture yourself with the changes, don’t you?

No. They are based on precise considerations and actual abilities of my players.

Can you guess the playing style of Malaysians?

They may attack at the beginning to promote their advantage of playing on their home land. Besides, they can’t resort to defense as they still have a second-leg game in Hanoi.

I guess Malaysians may also apply tough style of playing to neutralize short passes of Vietnam and leave no space for the visitors.

What will you do then?

My advice to my players is to keep calm and patience. The tough style of playing by Malaysians will facilitate Vietnam in deploying counterattack which is our advantage.

We set up a target of finding point(s) from this encounter, without using defensive style of competition.

You have solutions now, but you still look anxious?

Yes, I was anxious but now is not the time to complain. Our job is to find out optimal solution to complete the target of defending the championship title.

So, will Vietnam start today with goalkeeper Tan Truong, defenders Dinh Dong, Nhu Thanh, Phuoc Tu, Huy Hoang, midfielders Thanh Luong, Tan Tai, Thanh Hung, Minh Phuong, Vu Phong, and forward Anh Duc?

Maybe.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Fans head for Malaysia in record numbers

HA NOI — Football fans have made record bookings with Vietnam Airlines and AirAsia for flights to Kuala Lumpur to see Viet Nam play Malaysia in the semi-final first leg match of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup on December 15.

The tickets, reportedly now almost sold out, were not cheap.

The return fare with Vietnam Airlines is VND9.5 million (US$475) and $365 with budget carrier, AirAsia.

"Our group began planning to fly to Malaysia to support the national team as soon as Viet Nam qualified for the semi-finals," said former The Cong football fan club deputy chairman Nguyen Hong Thuy.

"It was difficult to get tickets for December 14-15 so we booked a day earlier.

"We knew we would have to pay a high price because it's late notice but we will not abandon the team."

The excited fan said her group would carry the national flag, Uncle Ho's portrait, drums, banners and cymbals to the match.

"We will ‘paint' the Bukit Jalil Stadium red with our T-shirts and yellow stars," she said.

Major travel agency Viettravel has chartered two aircraft with a total of 360 seats and is offering return tickets from HCM City for VND8.99 million and VND9.99 million from Ha Noi.

The price includes match entry.

The agent also offers 2-4 day football tours for VND9 million.

Ha Noi-based Redtour also has plans.

"We are co-operating with different partners to satisfy fans' demands and have created a package tour costing $469, some of which have already been sold," said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of the company.

Tong Thu Hien from Ha Noi Tourist company also confirmed that they were fully booked, saying the phone had not stopped ringing in the past few days but her company had only been able to take group bookings of 16 as it didn't cater for individuals. — VNS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

(L-R) Indonesia's Ahmad Bustomi, Bambang Pamungkas and Irfan Haarys Bachdim celebrate after beating Thailand during their qualifying round soccer match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup soccer tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – 2008 runners-up Thailand ended their campaign at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after losing 1-2 to hosts Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday while Malaysia secured another semifinal’s ticket as they crushed Laos 5-1.

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The match between Indonesia and their bitter rivals Thailand attracted much attention from the public. The Thai side wanted a victory to qualify for the semifinals in the make-or-break match while the hosts, who had already took the semifinals berth as the group leader, showed a great determination to win the game.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati.

The visiting team dominated the game from the first minutes and they placed more pressure on their opponents aiming to open the score while the Indonesian players played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

After the break, Thailand continuously organized more attacks on Indonesian defending lines but the Thais had to wait until the 68th minute when Suree Sukha opened for his team with a superb kick from inside the box.

However, two late goals by veteran Bampang Pamungkas destroyed a victory for three-time champions Thailand. Substitution Bampang made no mistake in two penalty kicks in the 80th and 88th minutes to seal Indonesia’s third win from as many matches.

Meanwhile, both Malaysia and Laos began the game quickly, Malaysia having a good chance in the first minutes and Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal opened the score for his team just four minutes into the game with a header.

Lamnao Singto leveled for Laos just four minutes later with an unstoppable header before Amri helped the Malaysian side advance in the 41st minute after receiving the ball from Norshahrul from the right wing.

The Malaysian side dominated throughout the second, substitution Bin Zainal restoring the lead in the 74th minute and Bin Talaha netting for Malaysia just three minutes later before Bin Jasuli finalized the game at 5-1 in the 90th minute.

With the victory, Malaysia went through to the semifinals as the group runners-up, five points behind leaders Indonesia. Third-placed Thailand had two points and bottom-placed Laos just had one point.

Group B will be decided on Wednesday when co-hosts Vietnam take on three-time champions Singapore at My Dinh National Stadium at 7:30 p.m. and the Philippines meet Myanmar at Nam Dinh’s Thien Truong Stadium in the same time.

The hosts, who lost 0-2 to Philippines on Sunday, must win to book a place in the semifinals while the Philippines just need a draw with their opponents to guarantee their progress to the last four stage.

After two games, the Philippines and Singapore have four points each but the Philippines topped the standings of group B thanks to the goal difference. Third-placed Vietnam secured three points from one win and one loss, whereas Myanmar exited from the tournament with two losses.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Athletes capture twin golds at Malaysia Open

Vietnamese track and field athletes returned home from the Malaysia Open on the weekend with two gold and one silver medals.

Regional sprint queen Vu Thi Huong, who won the first semi-final, went
on to take the title of the women's 100m event in a time of 11.55sec.
Her teammate Le Ngoc Phuong, who won the second semi-final, pocketed the
silver in 11.79 sec.

They both later participated in the women's 4x100m relay, which Vietnam easily won in a time of 45.06sec.

Coach Nguyen Dinh Minh said he was pleased with the team's
achievements, even though they had performed better at other
tournaments.

"They performed well and achieved some
good results at the [ Malaysia ] Open. What I regretted most however
is that the competition attracted only Southeast Asian athletes, so we
were not able to test ourselves against the best in the region," Minh
said.

He added that he was not disappointed that Huong
did not get closer to her best time of 11.34, which she achieved when
winning the SEA Games title. He said there were still three weeks to go
to the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD), when he said he believed Huong would be
at her peak.

At the biggest sports event in the
region, Vietnamese athletes will compete in the women's 200m, 800m,
1,500m, 400m hurdle and 4x400m relay; while the men will take part in
the 800m, 1,500m, long jump, triple jump and decathlon.

The track and field events start on November 21, with the finals
taking place six days later at the Aoti Stadium in Guangzhou ./.

Athletes capture twin golds at Malaysia Open

Home in a flash: Vu Thi Huong wins a gold medal in the women's 100m sprint at the Malaysia Open. She then added another gold in the team 4x100m relay. Huong is one of favourites among Vietnamese in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, on November 12-27. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hung

HA NOI — Vietnamese track and field athletes returned home from the Malaysia Open on the weekend with two gold and one silver medals.

Regional sprint queen Vu Thi Huong, who won the first semi-final, went on to take the title of the women's 100m event in a time of 11.55sec. Her teammate Le Ngoc Phuong, who won the second semi-final, pocketed the silver in 11.79 sec.

They both later participated in the women's 4x100m relay, which Viet Nam easily won in a time of 45.06sec.

Coach Nguyen Dinh Minh said he was pleased with the team's achievements, even though they had performed better at other tournaments.

"They performed well and achieved some good results at the [Malaysia] Open. What I regretted most however is that the competition attracted only Southeast Asian athletes, so we were not able to test ourselves against the best in the region," Minh said.

He added that he was not disappointed that Huong did not get closer to her best time of 11.34, which she achieved when winning the SEA Games title. He said there were still three weeks to go to the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD), when he said he believed Huong would be at her peak.

At the biggest sports event in the region, Vietnamese athletes will compete in the women's 200m, 800m, 1,500m, 400m hurdle and 4x400m relay; while the men will take part in the 800m, 1,500m, long jump, triple jump and decathlon.

The track and field events start on November 21, with the finals taking place six days later at the Aoti Stadium in Guangzhou. — VNS

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Singapore hold hosts Vietnam to a draw

Singapore held hosts Vietnam to a goalless draw on Thursday at the four-team invitational tournament Eximbank Cup to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Both sides staged attacking formation to sharpen their defensive and scoring skills but the ball was mainly competed at the middle of the field, with almost no clear chances created.

At the 31st minute of the match, Singapore’s coach Radojko Avramovic was discharged from his coaching area for arguing with referee.

Ten minutes before the end of the match, midfielder Bui Van Hieu of Vietnam was given a second yellow card and had to leave the field. However, the visitors have failed to take their advantage to convert a goal.

With the result, Vietnam -- who beat Malaysia 2-1 in the opening round on Tuesday -- is now ranking second on the table with four points after Iran on better goal difference.

Singapore, drawing 1-1 with Iran in the first round, follow with two points and Malaysia at the bottom after two losses.

In the last round on Saturday, Vietnam will encounter Iran and Singapore to take on Malaysia.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Singapore hold hosts Vietnam to a draw

Singapore held hosts Vietnam to a goalless draw on Thursday at the four-team invitational tournament Eximbank Cup to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Both sides staged attacking formation to sharpen their defensive and scoring skills but the ball was mainly competed at the middle of the field, with almost no clear chances created.

At the 31st minute of the match, Singapore’s coach Radojko Avramovic was discharged from his coaching area for arguing with referee.

With the result, Vietnam -- who beat Malaysia 2-1 in the opening round on Tuesday -- is now ranking second on the table with four points after Iran on better goal difference.

Singapore, drawing 1-1 with Iran in the first round, follow with two points and Malaysia at the bottom after two losses.

In the last round on Saturday, Vietnam will encounter Iran and Singapore to take on Malaysia.

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