Vietnam win Eximbank Football Cup

Vietnam players celebrate after winning the Eximbank Cup at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Saturday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam’s U-23 football team won the international Eximbank Cup after beating Iran U21 2-0 in Saturday’s final at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Saturday.

Singapore U23 secured third place when they tied goalless with Malaysia in Saturday’s earlier game.

Both Vietnam and Iran went into the final with four points from the two opening games, but because of goal difference Iran only needed a draw while Vietnam needed to win.

The home side had beaten Malaysia 2-1 in the opener and tied goalless with Singapore in the second game, while Iran drew 1-1 with Singapore in the first game and beat Malaysia 2-0 in the second game.

Vietnam’s coach Phan Thanh Hung used the strongest squad in hopes of keeping the cup at home. He only used eight key players from the SEA Games line up as they had lost 1-0 to Malaysia in the finals of the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) last December in Laos.

Iran controlled the ball in the first minutes, however, under heavy pressure from local fans at Thong Nhat Stadium, the hosts regained composure.

Striker Nguyen Anh Duc opened the score at 44 minutes with a header after receiving the ball from midfielder Nguyen Duc Thien in the penalty box.

Vietnam was reduced to 10 men in early minutes of the second half when striker Nguyen Anh Duc was sent off with a red card. The visitors tried to exploit the advantage, vainly putting more pressure on the Vietnamese defense.

Substitute player Hoang Dinh Tung, who replaced Nguyen Thanh Trung in the 50th minute, doubled the score in the 80th minute. Tung broke the offside trap before beating Iran’s goalie at the near post.

The round robin was a celebration of the 1,000 anniversary of the Thang Long - Hanoi. Vietnam won with seven points earning them $20,000. Iran finished second with US$10,000. The Singapore side pocketed US$5,000.

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Vietnam tie with Singapore at Eximbank Cup, Iran go top

Vietnam’s Hoang Danh Ngoc (R) challenges for the ball with Qaasimy of Singapore during their Eximbank Cup match in Thong Nhat Stadium on Thursday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam’s U-23 football team tied goalless with the U23 Singapore squad in their second game the international football tournament Eximbank Cup 2010 at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Thursday, while Iran U21 beat Malaysia U23 2-0 in the earlier game, securing the top spot in the four-team tournament.

The Vietnamese side began the game with an unchanged lineup after a 2-1 win over Malaysia in their opener on Tuesday while the Singaporean side had no change compared to their line-up in the opening game when they tied 1-1 with Iran.

Though the game was only a friendly, the competition between hosts Vietnam and archrivals Singapore is always fiercely competitive, with local fans always refusing to accept second best or anything other than victory under any circumstances.

Vietnam placed 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 cunning counter attacks.

Both sides created some scoring chances but their defenses were up to the task and kept clean sheets to half time.

The game went to highlights in the 31st minute when Singaporean coach Avramovic was sent off after reacting to the Thai referee over a decision.

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

Fairud nearly scored for the Singaporean side with a header in the 73rd minute, but it was saved by Vietnamese defender Minh Duc from close range.

Vietnam faced some disadvantage in the 80th minutes when Van Hieu was sent off after receiving the red card. Despite playing with ten men, Vietnam had good ball possession in the last minutes. However, their forwards missed all scoring chances.

In the earlier game on Thursday, Iran U21 secured a 2-0 victory over Malaysia U23. Striker Moosavi scored the first goal for Iran in the 42nd minute before Afshin finalized the game at 2-0 in the 76th minute.

Both Iran and Vietnam have four points each from one win and one draw but Iran secured the top spot due to the goal difference. The Singaporean team, who currently rank third in the competition, have two points from two draws while the bottom-placed Malaysia have no point from two losses.

The champions will be decided on Saturday when hosts Vietnam play Iran U21 at 6:00 p.m. in the final game while Singapore take on their Malaysian counterparts at 4:00 p.m.

Singapore U23, Iran U21 and Malaysia U21 together with the Vietnamese Olympic squad are competing at the international football tournament – Eximbank Cup 2010 under a round-robin format. The team that gets the most points will be declared the champions. The tournament is taking place from Tuesday to Saturday at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC.

The champions will receive US$20,000, the runners-up will get US$10,000, and the third-placed team, US$5,000.

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Vietnam secure 2-1 win over Malaysia in Eximbank Cup

Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Duc (L) fights for the ball with a Malaysian player during their Eximbank Cup match in Thong Nhat Stadium on Tuesday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam’s U-23 football team defeated Malaysian counterparts 2-1 in the opener of the international football tournament - Eximbank Cup 2010 at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Tuesday while Iran U-21 tied 1-1 with Singapore’s U23 in the earlier game.

The Malaysian team was said to be strong because they would send their best players who edged Vietnam 1-0 in the finals of the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) last December in Laos. However, Coach K. Rajagopal made seven changes from that line-up.  

The Vietnamese team participated in the round-robin tournament with their strongest squad in hopes of keeping the cup at home. However, Vietnam only kept eight key players in their SEA Games’s line up.

Under heavy pressure from local fans, hosts Vietnam, coached by Phan Thanh Hung, dominated the game from the beginning and they placed more pressure on their opponents.

The local fans celebrated the victory just 18 minutes into the game when striker Nguyen Anh Duc opened the score after receiving the ball from midfielder Thanh Trung in the penalty box.

The home side continuously organized attacks on Malaysian defending lines after the goal and Nguyen Anh Duc doubled for his team in the 25th minute.

However, goalie Bui Tan Truong made a serious mistake when he kicked the ball from the penalty area to his teammates. The ball, however, found the Malaysian striker Tahala, who made no mistake, narrowing the scoring gap for his team in the last minutes of the first half.

The second half was a different story when the visitors bounced back and put more pressure on their opponents aiming to level the scoring gap but all their scoring chances were denied by goalie Bui Tan Truong.

Despite good ball possession in the last minutes, Vietnamese forwarders failed to grasp any scoring chances, leaving the score at 2-1 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the game.

In the earlier opening game, Singapore, who made eight changes from the team that played at the SEA Games, including the drafting of two players aged above 23, tied 1-1 with Iran, who are the youngest in their line-up, as all players are under 21.  

Malaysia will play Iran U-21 at 4:00 p.m. and Vietnam U23 take on Singapore at 6:00 p.m. in their second games on Thursday.

Iran U21, Singapore U23 and Malaysia U23 together with hosts Vietnam U23 are competing at the Eximbank Football Cup, a tournament to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long –Hanoi.

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 Wednesday to Saturday at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC.

The winners will receive a cash prize of US$20,000, the runners-up US$10,000, and the third team US$5,000.

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Season ends with Song Lam Nghe An National Cup win

Dinh Dong of Song Lam Nghe An fights for the ball with Van Nhien of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (top) during their V-League football match at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCMC on Saturday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC –Song Lam Nghe An won the National Cup 2010 after defeating two-time V-League champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 1-0 at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Saturday.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai were still confident of a win even though the Central Highlands-based team started the game without left winger Le Van Truong, midfielder Nguyen Thai Duong and goalkeeper Shihavy. Brazilian strikers Evaldo Goncalves and Tiago De Paula, and Thai-born midfielders Nirut Surasiang and Sakda Joemdee, however, played from the kickoff.

Central-based Song Lam Nghe An, who won the cup twice in 2001 and 2002, were also confident with 2003 Golden Ball award winner Pham Van Quyen and national defender Nguyen Huy Hoang in their line-up.

Song Lam Nghe An strengthened their line-up earlier this year by signing Nigerian Abdulrazak Ekpoki and newly naturalized defender Helio, however, Bosnian Rajko Vidovic, who has scored 11 goals this season, was absent as he could not recover from his knee injury in time.

Both teams put pressure on in the first minutes, aiming to gain victory but the game got off to a wet start because of heavy rains. The player’s skills were affected by the rain and they did not control the ball.

With good ball possession, Song Lam Nghe An forwarders dominated the game and they nearly scored when striker Pham Van Quyen hit the post. Abdulrazak Ekpoki opened for Song Lam with a header in the 24th minute.

The second half was marred by heavy rain, Hoang Anh Gia Lai placed pressure on Song Lam’s defending line while Song Lam played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks to ensure their victory.

Despite strong attacks, Hoang Anh players created some scoring chances in the second half, but left the score at 1-0. Abdulrazak Ekpoki failed to score for Song Lam as his kick touched cross bar in the 82nd minute.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai beat SHB Danang 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the semifinal match while Song Lam Nghe An crushed Nam Dinh 3-0 in the second semifinal match in the National Cup 2010.

Song Lam Nghe An won the trophy and VND350 million (US$18,000). SHB Danang and Nam Dinh both ranked third.   

Vietnam’s National Football Cup 2010 drew 26 teams including 14 teams from the country’s V-League and 12 teams from First Division.

The National Cup’s final marked the end of Vietnam’s 2009-2010 football season. 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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