National Cup semifinalists through

HCMC –Saturday’s victors, Thanh Hoa, Song Lam Nghe An, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Navibank Saigon reached the semifinals of Vietnam’s 2011 National Football Cup.

Top Vietnamese League team, Song Lam Nghe An, beat first division team, Saigon Xuan Thanh, 4-2 in the central city of Vinh. Saigon Xuan Thanh started the game with Huynh Kesley, Lucas,  Nguyen Dinh Luat and Nguyen Thanh Trung in their line-up.

The HCMC-based team put pressure on Song Lam’s defensive line from the beginning resulting in a Huynh Kesley goal in the 10th minute with a penalty kick. Ngoc Anh leveled the score for Song Lam just two minutes later.

Striker Nguyen Duy Quang scored for the visitors in the 19th minute before Thierry leveled for the home side in the 62nd minute. Nguyen Quang Tinh and Kavin made sure Song Lam Nghe An advanced to the semifinals with two goals in the 67th and 68th minutes.     

Hoang Anh Gia Lai gained another ticket on the day after beating Khatoco Khanh Hoa 3-1 in the central coast city of Nha Trang. Nguyen Tang Tuan netted two goals for the visitors in the second and 30th minutes and Le Van Truong scored one goal in the 19th minute while Nguyen Manh Tu scored the only goal for the home side in the 43rd minute.

On the same day, Thanh Hoa secured the third ticket to the semifinals after eliminating XM The Vissai Ninh Binh 3-1 in a penalty shootout. The game was locked 1-1 at the end of official time. Dinh Hoang Max had opened for The Vissai Ninh Binh in the 50th minute and Trinh Quang Vinh then leveled for Thanh Hoa just seven minutes later.    

Navibank Saigon secured the last semifinal ticket as they beat Becamex Binh Duong 10-9 in a penalty shootout to decide the 1-1 draw. Hoang Anh Gia Lai will play Song Lam Nghe An on August 10 in Pleiku City, and Thanh Hoa will meet Navibank Saigon on the same day in HCMC.

The final will be held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on August 27.

Vietnam’s National Football Cup 2011 drew 27 teams from the country’s V-League and First Division, competing in a knock-out format.

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Navibank Saigon holds on to V-League spot

Navibank Saigon beat Quang Ninh 2-0 in a play-off match at Da Nang’s Chi Lang Stadium on Sunday to retain its V-League berth for the next season.

An overall superior performance and two goals in five minutes midway through the second half helped ensure that Ho Chi Minh City still had a representative in the country’s top-tier football league. The squad was formerly known as the Fourth Military Zone.

While a V-League spot is valuable, Navibank Saigon faces an uphill task if it wants to do well in the next season.

Team coach Mai Duc Chung said after the match, “I’m not sure whether I will stay with the club. However, improvement is very necessary. HCMC football has being going downhill a lot.

“If the officials in charge don’t contribute to improving the squad, it will be impossible for Navibank Saigon to avoid relegation to First Division at the end of the next season because the 2011 season will be more severe.”

Club owner Nguyen Vinh Tho said it was great that the club could stay on in the V-League.

“Navibank Saigon will be strengthened. Some good players have agreed to play for the club,” Tho said. “We work for the fans, so they can trust us.”

Tho also said the club would discuss an agreement to have Chung stay with the club.

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Navibank Saigon secure a place in V-League next season

HCMC – V-League team Navibank Saigon beat First Division team Quang Ninh Coal 2-0 in their V-League relegation play-off at Chi Lang Stadium in the central coast city of Danang on Sunday to secure a place in the top league next season.

The two teams started the game slowly and played aggressively, hoping for their opponent’s mistakes but they both could not change the status quo. The first half ended scoreless despite their players created some attacks to their opponent’s defense line.

The game was the different story after the break. Navibank Saigon dominated the game as their forwarders put more pressure on Quang Ninh Coal defending line. Nguyen Van Khai surprisingly opened the score for the V-League team in the 61st minute following an error from Quang Ninh Coal keeper.

Navibank Saigon continued to dominate the game with many opportunities and Leandro De Oliveira finalized the game at 2-0 just five minutes later.

Both Quang Ninh Coal’s defensive and offensive moves were strong in the dying minutes while Navibank Saigon played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks aimed to protect the score.

Despite strong attacks, Quang Ninh Coal players failed to convert any opportunities into goals while Navibank Saigon succeeded in controlling the game. 

The V-League – PetroVietnam Gas 2010 finished two weeks ago. Hanoi T&T won the V-League title, Haiphong were runners-up and Dong Thap were third while bottom-placed team Nam Dinh dropped out of the V-League and Navibank Saigon secured the play-off ticket.

In the First-Division championship that finished at the same time, Hanoi ACB, who claimed the First Division title, won promotion to V-League next year and second-placed Quang Ninh Coal secured the play-off position. Tien Giang relegated to the Second Division in the next season

Next season the V-League will have 14 teams and the First Division will have the same number of teams, one more than now. The new season will begin in December with the Super Cup match when V-League champions Hanoi T&T will meet National Cup winners Song Lam Nghe An.

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