VietNam Culture: match

Showing posts with label match. Show all posts

Friday, February 11, 2011

RoK’s football star to play in VN charity match

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s football star Park Ji-sung is planning to play in a charity match in Vietnam.

Park,
who plays for Manchester United, will line up alongside fellow
teammates Patrice Evra and Edwin Van de Sar along with former Juventus
hitman Pavel Nedved and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez.

The
match, which is scheduled for June 15, has received support from the
Vietnam Football Federation who also said they were making detailed
plans in preparation for the event.

Park's agent company is
looking into a suitable venue for the game and money raised through
ticket sales will be given to the VFF to develop the nation's junior
football movement.

Park, who played a key role in RoK’s World Cup
2010 campaign, also introduced his JS Foundation that focuses on
charitable activities in Southeast Asia on Feb. 9.

Park said goodbye to the national team in January after winning his 100th cap in a match against Japan during the Asian Cup.

Park
has played in three World Cups, scoring in each tournament, and is one
of the greatest Asian players ever to put on a football shirt./.

Park to play in VN charity match

Fired up: South Korean football star Park Ji-sung will come to Viet Nam for a charity football match scheduled for June 15. — AFP/VNA Photo

HA NOI — South Korean football star Park Ji-sung is planning to play in a charity match in Viet Nam.

Park, who plays for Manchester United, will line up alongside fellow teammates Patrice Evra and Edwin Van de Sar along with former Juventus hitman Pavel Nedved and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez.

The match, which is scheduled for June 15, has received support from the Viet Nam Football Federation who also said they were making detailed plans in preparation for the event.

Park's agent company is looking into a suitable venue for the game and money raised through ticket sales will be given to the VFF to develop the nation's junior football movement.

Park, who played a key role in South Korea's World Cup 2010 campaign, also introduced his JS Foundation that focuses on charitable activities in Southeast Asia on Wednesday.

Park said goodbye to the national team in January after winning his 100th cap in a match against Japan during the Asian Cup.

Park has played in three World Cups, scoring in each tournament, and is one of the greatest Asian players ever to put on a football shirt. — VNS

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Djokovic out to rock Federer from the off

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is seeking a fast start when he takes on defending champion Roger Federer on Thursday with a place in the Australian Open final at stake.

The 23-year-old Serb beat the Swiss at the corresponding stage at Melbourne Park on his way to winning his only grand slam title in 2008 and believes he is playing well enough to give himself a chance of another upset.

"Definitely you have to start well," Djokovic said after destroying Thomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. "You have to try to get him on the run as much as you can and try to let him know you're there to win.

"I felt like I'm starting to play my best tennis in the last five, six months," he added. "I have more experience on the court. Physically I'm fit. I'm hitting the ball better and I have more variety in the game.

"Serve has been much better, which is very encouraging fact because it's been an issue for me in the last 12 months."

Though nowhere near the intensity of the Federer-Nadal duel that has defined men's tennis for the last seven years or so, Djokovic has developed something of a rivalry with the 16-times grand slam champion.

Djokovic came out on top at their last grand slam meeting in the semi-finals of last year's US Open, clawing his way back from two match points down to beat the Swiss in five sets.

Federer got a measure of revenge in their last meeting, however, when he crushed Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the last four of the ATP Tour finals in London last November.

Victory for Federer, who holds a 13-6 advantage in their head-to-head, would mean a sixth Australian Open final for the second seed, who agreed with Djokovic that the match was likely to be decided by just one or two key points.

"The U.S. Open was a close match," recalled Federer. "I think I had two match points ... I guess I should have won really. I mean, I was playing good enough to win.

"But I was a bit confused mentally maybe... maybe I just felt like I have to get out of this match as quick as I could to save energy to play Rafa the next day.

"In the end, it was a shot here and there. He whacked those forehands in the corners the way he had to turn the match.

"He's a quality player who plays really offensive, he takes it to the opponent. I enjoy playing against him because of the shot-making we are able to create really."

Injured world number one's Rafa Nadal shock exit from the tournament on Wednesday means in-form British fifth seed Andy Murray or Spaniard David Ferrer will await the winner in Sunday's final.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Federer, China’s Li through to Melbourne semifinals

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot during his men's quarterfinal match against compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 25, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Roger Federer flattened his close buddy Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 6-3 6-3 while in the women’s division, Li Na of China also advanced to the Australian Open semifinal on Tuesday.

Defending champion Federer, the Melbourne second seed, overpowered Wawrinka in an hour and 47 minutes in the first grand slam quarter-final contested by two Swiss men.

Ripping winners from all angles, Federer tore through the first set in just 29 minutes before seizing complete control by adding the second with a looping backhand.

Master broke apprentice again at the start of the third before sealing victory with another vicious backhand, which was too hot for his dazed opponent to handle.

Federer, bidding to extend his record haul of grand slam titles to 17, faces either third seed Novak Djokovic or number six Tomas Berdych in the last four.

Li Na recovered from early stumbles in both sets before blowing away German Andrea Petkovic 6-2 6-4 with a ruthless barrage of clean hitting to storm into her second successive Australian Open semifinal.

li na

Li Na of China celebrates during her match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany at the women's quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 25, 2011

Li, her country's first top-10 player, was broken in the first game of each set but attacked the German's serve furiously to close out the match in 80 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

Petkovic appeared nervous on her grand slam quarterfinal debut and sprayed two forehands to concede the first set.

Serving to stay in the match in the second, Petkovic slapped a forehand long to hand her Chinese opponent victory, Li celebrating the win by yelping "Yeah!" and grinning at her husband and coach Jiang Shan in the stands.

Li will play either top seed Caroline Wozniacki or Francesca Schiavone for a place in the final.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Fans brave foul weather for Cup tickets

Eager anticipation: Football fans queuing for the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup tickets at My Dinh National Stadium in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Quy Trung

HA NOI — Despite cold weather and a 2-0 loss to Malaysia in the first leg semi-final of the ASEAN Football Championship on Wednesday, thousands of Vietnamese fans lined up at My Dinh National Stadium yesterday to buy tickets for the second leg match tomorrow.

A line of hundreds of metres had queued up at the stadium by 7am, nearly two hours before tickets were to go on sale at 8.30am.

The first leg loss left a tall order for Viet Nam in the return match, but over 1,200 organisations have also registered to buy at least 165,000 tickets, over four times the stadium capacity.

A fan named Minh, who got the first ticket, said he had arrived at 4am but still had to purchase a ticket for a seat behind the goal line.

"I just bought an uncomfortable seat, but I'm still lucky," Minh said. "I just hope that Viet Nam can overturn the first-leg loss."

Security was tight at the stadium, so chaos would not erupt among the queuing fans.

Due to the high demand, fans were only allowed to buy two tickets, with prices starting from VND100,000 (US$5). Only a few were able to buy grandstand tickets, at prices of VND200-400,000 ($10-20). Just one hour after ticket sales ended, touters were offering some of the same seats at VND1.3 million ($68).

Witnessing the crowd of touts, fan Nguyen Van Hung said, "I'll watch the match on TV as I did two years ago. I don't want to waste time and money for touted tickets."

Viet Nam must win at least 3-0 in the second leg match tomorrow to secure a final berth, while a 2-0 win would mean that Viet Nam and Malaysia play extra time. — VNS

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Fans frustated by Cup ticket fiasco

HA NOI — Hundreds of Vietnamese fans representing organisations registering for tickets for the forthcoming second leg, semi-final ASEAN Football Championship, AFF-Suzuki Cup match between Viet Nam and Malaysia queued for hours yesterday at the Viet Nam Football Federation office.

However, members of the public will struggle to get a ticket as demand is likely outstrip supply a day before the tickets go on general sale on Thursday.

Viet Nam will face Malaysia in the first leg away tomorrow, while the return match will be played at the 40,000-capacity My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

The VFF announced last week that it had begun receiving registrations for tickets from organisations yesterday, while fans could only purchase tickets at My Dinh Stadium, or via www.aleale.com.vn.

Due to high demand, people are only allowed to buy two tickets, with prices varying from VND100,000 to 400,000 (US$5-20).

"We're estimating that demand is three to four times the 40,000 capacity for the second leg," a ticket distributor Viet Nam Football Development JSC (VFD), staff member said.

"It's the biggest imbalance between demand and capacity we've ever seen for a football match in Viet Nam. Vietnamese fans are desperate to watch this game at the stadium rather than on TV," she said.

"Over 400 organisations registered to buy at least 2,000 tickets in just three hours this morning, but I'm sure that the figure will exceed the company's allocation of 8,000 tickets. In the last two years, we received 1,000 orders of 40 and 50 tickets each."

According to VFD, 40,000 tickets, included 4,000 invitations, have been allocated for the match, of which 8,000, only 20 per cent of total tickets, will be available for purchase via the internet or SMS text message.

Meanwhile, the match organising committee has also had to reserve a number of tickets for Malaysian fans, who are flocking to Viet Nam for the second leg match this weekend.

This will cause a serious shortage of tickets and many fans will find it next to impossible to see the semis.

Viet Nam narrowly qualified for the semi-final with a 1-0 win over Singapore in their last game, following a 7-1 trouncing of Myanmar and a bitter 2-0 loss to the Philippines.

For the final match between Viet Nam and Thailand two years ago, Vietnamese fans had to fork out up to VND3 million ($150) to ticket touts – a significant increase on the face value of VND80,000 ($4).

In the match between Viet Nam and the Brazilian Olympic team, fans had to pay VND3.2 million ($160), four times as much as original of VND700,000 ($35), for a black market ticket. — VNS

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

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fans make record bookings for Kuala Lumpur

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 first leg match of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup next Wednesday.

The tickets, reportedly now sold out, are 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 immediately Viet Nam won into the semi-finals," round, said former The Cong Football Club director 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 almost out of date 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 have chartered two aircraft from with a 360 seats total of and are 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. – VNS

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

AFF Cup springs surprises

On a high: Filipino players celebrate their 2-0 win over Viet Nam in Group B in the ASEAN Football Championship in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Thang

HCM CITY — With erstwhile minnows refusing to be overawed by powerhouse reputations, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup could mark a new chapter in regional football.

The Philippines, comfortably wearing its underdog tag, is on the brink of making history while Singapore and Viet Nam, which are frequent semi-finalists at previous editions of the tournament, is on danger.

Six years ago, at the Tiger Cup 2004 (as the tournament was known then), Myanmar successfully entered the semifinals after surprisingly topping the group that included Thailand and Malaysia.

The Philippines now stands a good chance of repeating Myanmar's feat with at least a draw against the latter in the last round of the Group B match today.

In the meantime, Viet Nam, and Singapore, considered favourites for semi-final berths in the Group B, are on the brink of elimination. Malaysia qualified for semi-finals after beating Laos in the last match while the pre-tournament favourites Thailand, who lost 2-1 to Indonesia yesterday, was unexpectedly ousted from the tournament without a win.

"The loss against the Philippines is regretful for Viet Nam but the Philippines considered themselves the underdogs and chose a defensive approach and waited for chances. And they were successful," said Tran Cong Minh, former national defender.

"The match between Viet Nam and Singapore [today] promises to be a very exciting match and both teams have an equal chance."

Game changers

Indonesia and the Philippines are riding high on different styles of play, but both teams have players who can change the fortunes match.

Indonesia destroyed their opponents with dazzling attacks, using the service of Uruguayan-Indonesian Christian Gonzales.

Gonzales, top goal scorer at the Indonesian Super League for five consecutive years, is the talisman in his team's three impressive victories in the Group A. His class goal helped put Indonesia ahead in the opening match against Malaysia and gave his team the confidence to go on and complete a 5-1 win.

He was also the key player for Indonesia in the matches against Laos and Thailand. Gonzales showed his value at the right time, earning his team penalties, which helped settle his team.

Indonesian Austrian coach Alfred Riedl admitted that Gonzales' goals are turning points in wins over Laos and Thailand.

The Philippines has not been as impressive as Indonesia in their wins, but the four points they've got from two matches against title contenders Singapore and Viet Nam is far above their own expectations.

Their new players are making a difference. Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, trained in England, played his best game in the tournament so far on Sunday in the shock 2-0 win over defending champions Viet Nam.

While Etheridge was reliable in the goal, Philip Younghusband and Christopher Greatwich look sharpness up front.

"Besides having some good players, Indonesia have the advantage of playing at home," Minh said. — VNS

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Vietnam faces early Cup exit

Vietnam's football team will meet Singapore in a make-or-break match in
Group B of the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup on Dec. 8.

The hosts, who lost 2-0 to the Philippines on Dec. 5, must win to guarantee a spot in the semi-finals.

The Philippines, who lead the group with four points, need only a draw with Myanmar to qualify for the last four.

Singapore scraped a last minute 2-1 win over Myanmar on Dec. 5 and will
advance to the semi-finals if they draw with Vietnam at the 40,000
capacity My Dinh National Stadium.

"Singapore showed good
mental toughness to defeat Myanmar in the last two minutes on Sunday.
However, we won't miss our chances to score the goals we need to defeat
them," said Vietnam's coach Henrique Calisto.

"We were
unable to score in our game against the Philippines, but I'm proud of my
players because they fought hard during the match. They have worked
hard since they helped Vietnam win the AFF Cup two years ago," he told a
press conference.

Singapore's coach Radojko Avramovic said the match with Vietnam has been highly anticipated between the two sets of fans.

"It will be an intriguing match (between Vietnam and Singapore) for
spectators, not for coaches. I think the match will be exciting, but
very tough for us," Avramovic said.

Myanmar meet the
Philippines at Nam Dinh's Thien Truong Stadium, 90km south of Hanoi,
while Vietnam play Singapore in Hanoi, both at 7pm on Dec. 8.

Philippines coach Simon McMenemy said he had told his players to give 100 percent in the upcoming game./.

Viet Nam face early Cup exit

All or nothing: Viet Nam's team coach Henrique Calisto and his squad will play a do-or-die encounter against Singapore in their last match in Group B of the AFF-Suzuki Cup tomorrow. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — Viet Nam's football team will meet Singapore in a make-or-break match in Group B of the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup tomorrow.

The hosts, who lost 2-0 to the Philippines on Sunday, must win to guarantee a spot in the semi-finals.

The Philippines, who lead the group with four points, need only a draw with Myanmar to qualify for the last four.

Singapore scraped a last minute 2-1 win over Myanmar on Sunday and will advance to the semi-finals if they draw with Viet Nam at the 40,000 capacity My Dinh National Stadium.

"Singapore showed good mental toughness to defeat Myanmar in the last two minutes on Sunday. However, we won't miss our chances to score the goals we need to defeat them," said Viet Nam's coach Henrique Calisto.

"We were unable to score in our game against the Philippines, but I'm proud of my players because they fought hard during the match. They have worked hard since they helped Viet Nam win the AFF Cup two years ago," he told a press conference.

Singapore's coach Radojko Avramovic said the match with Viet Nam has been highly anticipated between the two sets of fans.

"It will be an intriguing match (between Viet Nam and Singapore) for spectators, not for coaches. I think the match will be exciting, but very tough for us," Avramovic said.

Myanmar meet the Philippines at Nam Dinh's Thien Truong Stadium, 90km south of Ha Noi, while Viet Nam play Singapore in Ha Noi, both at 7pm tomorrow.

Philippines coach Simon McMenemy said he had told his players to give 100 per cent in tomorrow's game. — VNS

Monday, December 6, 2010

Viet Nam to meet Singapore in make-or-break game

HA NOI – Viet Nam's football team will meet Singapore in a make-or-break match in Group B of the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup tomorrow.

The hosts, who lost 2-0 to the Philippines on Sunday, must win to guarantee a spot in the semi-finals.

The Philippines, who lead the group with four points, need only a draw with Myanmar to qualify for the last four.

Singapore scraped a last minute 2-1 win over Myanmar on Sunday and will advance to the semi-finals if they draw with Viet Nam at the 40,000 capacity My Dinh National Stadium.

"Singapore showed good mental toughness to defeat Myanmar in the last two minutes on Sunday. However, we won't miss our chances to score the goals we need to defeat them," said Viet Nam's coach Henrique Calisto.

Singapore's coach Radojko Avramovic said the match with Viet Nam has been highly anticipated between the two sets of fans.

"It will be an intriguing match (between Viet Nam and Singapore) for spectators, not for coaches. I think the match will be exciting, but very tough for us," Avramovic said.

Myanmar meet the Philippines at Nam Dinh's Thien Truong Stadium, 90km south of Ha Noi, while Viet Nam play Singapore in Ha Noi, both at 7pm tomorrow.

Philippines coach Simon McMenemy said he had told his players to give 100 per cent in tomorrow's game. – VNS

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Indonesia rout Laos 6-0

Photo: AFF

Hosts Indonesia kept their AFF Suzuki Cup dreams on track when they sensationally swept Laos aside 6-0 last night to emerge champions of Group A even though they still have one more match to play.

Indonesia have six points while Thailand and Malaysia will have to fight for the remaining semifinal slot.

Thailand, one of the pre-tournament favourites, dug themselves into a spot when despite dominating the match ended up sharing points with Malaysia. With two points in the bag, Thailand now have to beat Indonesia to advance.

At the Gelora Bung Karno last night, in front of over 40,000 fans, Indonesia knew what they had to do and took the fight opened the floodgates with a 26th minute penalty converted by skipper Firman Utina. Muhammad Ridhwan doubled the score just seven minutes later and the score remained until the break.

Five minutes after resumption, Indonesia continued their spree with a superb strike from Firman, his second of the match. Irfan Harrys Bachdim struck his second goal of the event when he made a lovely run into the box, easing past his markers to make 4-0 in the 62nd minute. Substitute Arif Suyono scored six minutes after coming on for Ridhwan. The speedy Oktovianus Maniani completed the rout in the 80th minute.

“It was a big win and I credit the players for their untiring efforts. Although we are already in the semifinals, we will not take it easy against Thailand in our last match,” said Alfred Ridle, head coach of Indonesia.

For Laos the loss was a bitter blow following their superb performance against Thailand two days earlier. But as coach David Booth explained: “Against a team like Indonesia or for that matter Thailand or Malaysia, you just can’t afford to make mistakes, you have to minimize them. Unfortunately, we conceded a penalty and then the second goal. It was difficult for a team like ours to bounce back, we are not that strong.”

Booth said that instead of keeping the score down, the team decided to go for the game. “We did not sit back, unfortunately it did not work. And then we conceded the early goal in the second half.”

Monday, November 1, 2010

U19s win International Cup

The Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper's International Football
Championship Cup stayed in Vietnam for the second time after Vietnam's
U19 team defeated the Thai U21 2-1 on Oct. 31 in HCM City.

Despite being considered weak compared to their rivals, the host proved
that they could not be defeated by starting the match with effective
attacks from the very first seconds.

Nguyen Hai Huy's
opening goal proved their power in the first half. His 16.50m straight
shot made more than 10,000 spectators, including national head coach
Henrique Calisto, burst into happy and uninterrupted applause.

But Thailand were still a tough opponent throughout the
tournament. Their forward trio of Sokjoho, Hongthong and Anan forced the
Vietnamese players to work very hard to protect their net.

Thai tactics included rotating their positions in an aim to stretch
the Vietnamese defence to level the score. However, this effort proved
fruitless as they consistently had to back off to help their teammates
thwart threatening counter-attacks from the Vietnamese side.

Goalie Buu Ngoc worked hard to keep the Thais to one goal after
miscommunication between his teammates allowed a close-range shot by
Meesawad to be converted into the second goal of the match.

The sudden loss confused the Vietnamese players to such an extent that
Thai halfback Jungreed nearly scored a second goal a few minutes later.
But Ngoc continued with his heroics to block many other Thai shots
throughout the match. He was later voted as the best player of the
match.

In the 78th minute, Vietnam scored their
second goal in a rapid counter-attack. Van Quyet, who played in the
shadows for much of the match, passed the ball across the box to a
waiting Minh Tuan. His shot was punched out but the ball ricocheted to
Van Thanh who scored with ease.

In addition to the cup, the team was awarded 300 million VND (15,000 USD).

In the earlier match, the U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper team beat U21 Malaysia 1-0 to secure third place.

Substitute striker Hoang Nhat Nam scored the only goal of the
match from a free kick in the 82nd minute. The score would have been
higher if Huu Phat had not missed a penalty a short time earlier.

This was the fourth year the tournament was organised with
international teams. Vietnam 's first victory was in 2007 when they
defeated Thailand 1-0 in the final./.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

UK ambassador plays last soccer match

Mark Kent (red jersey) plays his last soccer match in Hanoi in his 3-year tenure in Vietnam as UK ambassador

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Last weekend Mark Kent and his son Alexandre played a soccer match with a bunch of youngsters in Hanoi, their last in Vietnam before the British ambassador returns home at the end of his tenure.

Mark had chosen to play the sport to relax during his three years in Hanoi and his soccer friends gave father and son a sendoff before the match.

“I only play 15-20 minutes in each half,” he said. He is now 44 years old.

Mark and Alexandre took turns to play as a striker.

“Lam ra lam, choi ra choi” (Work hard, play hard), the ambassador said in fluent Vietnamese.

After the match, the team went out to drink draught beer on the streets. In the UK, Mark will still play soccer with his son during weekends but will miss the Hanoi draught beer.

During his stay in the country since December 2007 he became famous for his Vietnamese blog to connect with the local online community and deepen the understanding between two countries.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Thien targets higher ranking

Nguyen Hoang Thien hopes to break into the top 100 junior tennis players rankings after winning two straight titles during the past two weeks.

Thien took home the title at the U18 ITF's Becamex Binh Duong Cup on Friday and won another tournament in Bac Lieu Province.

Thien, who is ranked 369th in the world's junior tennis standings, will compete with the national team for the first time at the 16th Asian Games which will be held in Guangzhou, China in November.

The young athlete will compete at the ITF's group 3 tournament against Malaysian tennis players.

Viet Nam beat India 3-1 in friendly

Viet Nam's Olympic team came from behind to beat India 3-1 during their friendly match on Saturday in New Dehli.

Balwant Singh scored for India nine minutes into the match. Ngoc Dieu responded with a goal to even the score during the first half.

Coach Phan Thanh Hung's players dominated the second half with Dieu scoring another goal during the 56th minute. Striker Nguyen Anh Duc scored the final goal in the match.

The Vietnamese team will compete in a friendly tournament in Bangkok from October 27-31 before participating in the Asian Games.

Quyen signs with Song Lam Nghe An

Former national star Pham Van Quyen has signed a new contract with Song Lam Nghe An, despite having his name tarnished during a match fixing scandal.

Quyen's new contract is for three years but allows him to play for the club until his retirement. In effect, the player has a life-contract with his team, who warmly welcomed his return after a four-year ban for match fixing. His current contract will end by the end of this year.

Quyen was called up for the national team in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 but suffered an injury that resulted in a poor performance during the last season. — VNS

Friday, October 8, 2010

Vietnam humiliated with a 4-0 loss over Japan

Photo: AFC

Vietnamese national youth football team slumped to a humiliated 4-0 defeat by Japan in the second match day today at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship taking place in China.

Takashi Usami scored a hat-trick as Japan booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Asian tournament, with six points after two games in group C. Japan will next face Jordan on Friday.

Mitsunari Musaka and Usami scored in the first half to put Japan in control of the match before the latter added two more in the second period.

Vietnam remain on three points after a 2-1 win over Jordan on Monday and will take on the defending champion United Arab Emirates in their final group game two days later.

Just eight minutes into the match, the Keiichiro Nuno’s side opened the scoring when skipper Musaka received the ball just outside the box before letting fly with fine long-range strike that gave Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Buu Ngoc no chance.

Japan made it look easy when they added a second on the stroke of half time with the lively Usami drilling a vicious low shot from the edge of the area into the back of the net.

Japan added to their tally with a third midway through the second half through Usami before he completed his hat-trick with two minutes remaining.

Jordan and the UAE are set to play the other match of the group at 10:30 GMT today.

The Vietnamese U-19 team is one of 16 out of 38 Asian national teams to pass the qualifying round in November of last year.

The AFC U-19 Championship is held every two years.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Will Querrey have the answers at HCMC tourney?

Sam Querrey of U.S. returns the ball to Santiago Giraldo of Colombia during their Davis Cup tennis match in Bogota September 17, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Tuoi Tre spoke to Sam Querrey, a young American tennis player who is in Ho Chi Minh City for the Heineken Stars tournament starting October 1.

Many people think you are America’s next big talent. What is your reaction?

I still have many things to do. I am satisfied with my career development and what I have achieved up to now. I hope to challenge myself at the Heineken Stars 2010 and other tournaments in the next few months.

You hold the record of serving 10 continuous aces in a match. What is the secret behind your big serve?

My secret is to practice hard. I think what I’ve achieved up to now is the result of my hard work. But I will work harder to improve.

This has been your most successful year. You won four ATP titles. What are your goals for next year?

What is important to me is to constantly improve and try harder in every match. If I play well, the results will follow and my ranking will improve. Of course, like other tennis pros, I attach importance to the Grand Slam tournaments. The competitive atmosphere and confronting many world-class opponents makes you want to win. I aim to play well in Grand Slam tournaments. One of them is the US Open which is very exciting for me since it is played at home. Moreover, it is the tournament I can play best in because the courts there are fast.

Who do you think is the best player in the world? And who do you want to compete with?

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are of course two best players. It is great to play tennis at a time when I have a chance to compete with Federer and Nadal, probably the two best players of all time. Every time I play against someone in the world’s top 10 or 20, it is an extremely important match. As I said, the level of professional tournaments is very high and every match is a challenge.

Do you have anything to say to your Vietnamese fans?

I hope my Vietnamese fans will come and support me at the Heineken Stars 2010. This is the first time I’ve played tennis in Vietnam and it will be amazing if I can win this tournament.

Friday, September 24, 2010

VN to play final at AFF U16 tourney

Vietnam’s youth players won 1-0 over host Indonesia at the ASEAN
Football Federation (AFF) U-16 Youth Championship on September 22,
securing a ticket to the final match after two consecutive victories.

The same day, the Chinese team defeated East Timor 1-0, and is to
compete with Indonesia on September 24 for the remaining ticket in the
final.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s U23 team is facing a
tough task at the Millennium Football Cup last match, back in Hanoi
after their loss at Hanoi’s National Stadium to Australia on September
22.

The host lost 0-2 to Australia’s U23 team in the
second round match of the tournament, which is being held as one of the
activities to celebrate the capital’s 1000 th anniversary.

The defeat pushed the hosts down the rankings table to second place
with three points. Australia are still in third place after their win.

Meanwhile, the North Korean U23 team played to their
second victory on September 22 to climb to the top. They beat Kuwait’s
U23 team 1-0.

Vietnam, who played very well in their
first match against Kuwait, did not find their peak yesterday. In fact,
their defence was loose and their blunt forwards and passive
midfielders proved no challenge to the visitors.

In the last round match, Vietnam will play North Korea while Australia will meet Kuwait tomorrow./.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Hosts Vietnam humiliated at Hanoi football cup

Hosts Vietnam were beaten 2-0 by Australia on Wednesday, the second match-day of the Thang Long-Hanoi Football Cup.

The Socceroos sank the Henrique Calisto-coached side with two goals in the first half after displaying dominance in both physical fitness, speed and ball possession.

In the 19th minute, the player wearing number 11 jersey of the Socceroos, Jason Hoffman, separated two rival central defenders Nhu Thanh and Phuoc Tu and invaded the box to score his opening goal.

Seventeen minutes later, Tahj Rodney Minniecon escaped the offside trap of the defensive wall of Vietnam to double the scores.

Vietnam, who romped past Kuwait 3-0 on Monday, could almost set up no clear chances to threat the Australian goalkeeper Andrew James Redmayne after the visiting team performed close fighting for the ball to take advantage of their height and fitness.

It leaves no space for Vietnamese players to manage.

The hosts strived to launch more attacking efforts in the second half of the match but failed to convert any goal.

In the other game of the match-day two, North Korea, who won Australia 1-0 in the opening round, found their second straight victory after beating Kuwait 1-0 and are leading the table with six points.

The September 20-24 tournament to celebrate the 1,000 anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi has four teams partaking in single round robin format with the champions to pocket US$20,000. Two runners-up get $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

In the last match-day on Friday, Vietnam will take on North Korea and Australia to face Kuwait.

Friday, February 11, 2011

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