Ha Noi T&T draw first blood

Rapid attack: Striker Gonzalo (right) of Ha noi T&T vies for the ball against Hoa Phat Ha Noi's goalkeeper Nguyen Viet Nam and a defender in their clash in the V-League opener. T&T won 2-1. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Argentinean striker Gonzalo Marronkle scored a goal in the third minute of injury time to help Ha Noi T&T to their 2-1 local derby defeat of Hoa Phat Ha Noi 2-1 in the national football championship, V-League opener on Saturday.

The win put defending champions in third place behind Thanh Hoa, who defeated Ha Noi ACB 3-0 to top table, and SHB Da Nang, who beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1.

Marronkle, who has become something a talisman for the Ha Noi club after top striker Le Cong Vinh was ruled out with a knee injury last year, made little impression for most of the game, but he netted the ball in the last minute to seal a lucky win for V-League defending champions.

Striker Nguyen Ngoc Duy scored in the 42nd minute with a powerful shot after a quick rapid attack, but Nigerian Anjembe Timothy equalised in 83rd minute.

Last year's V-League top scorer Argentinean Merlo Gaston also scored a goal from a spot kick in the 81st minute to help hosts Da Nang beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1 on Saturday.

Referee Hoang Anh Tuan booked nine players and gave a red card in a tempestuous match at Chi Lang Stadium.

In the other matches Hai Phong overcame Khanh Hoa 1-0; Binh Duong drew 1-1 with Ninh Binh; Dong Tam Long An were held to a 2-2 draw by Song Lam Nghe An and Navibank Sai Gon ended with a goaless draw against Dong Thap.

The next round of V-League fixtures will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. — VNS

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Brazilian flair helps Alves to second Golden Boot

On target: Huynh Kesley Alves won the Golden Boot award after a successful season during which he scored 23 goals in all tournaments. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — Brazilian-born striker Huynh Kesley Alves formerly of V-League club Binh Duong won the nation's Golden Boot award for the highest Vietnamese goal scorer of the year, the prize organising committee told Viet Nam News yesterday.

Kesley, who now plays for First Division Xuan Thanh-Sai Gon, scored 23 total goals in the national football championship, V-League, the Asian Football Confederation Cup and the National Cup to rank first with 74 points. He won the award with 17 goals in 2009.

This year Kelsey beats off runner-up Nguyen Quang Hai of Khanh Hoa, who scored 14 goals with 41 points, while Binh Duong's Nguyen Anh Duc stands in third place.

"This is the second time we have organised a ceremony to honour the top scorer in the national championship. We will make it an annual event for footballers from now on," said Nguyen Minh Hung, vice chairman of the HCM City Journalists Association's Sport Reporters Club.

In 1997, former striker Le Huynh Duc, who now coaches Da Nang, was presented with a top scorer award, but the event was subsequently suspended for 13 years.

Alves, who was granted Vietnamese citizenship in 2008, scored 14 of Binh Duong's 48 goals in the national V-League premier football championship last season. He also netted the ball seven times in the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League and two more times in the National Cup.

Goals scored in the V-League, National Cup, Super Cup and First-Division are taken into account, as are goals scored at official matches organised by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and the ASEAN Football Federation, as well as during international friendly matches from January to December.

In 2005, the 31-year-old striker won top scorer and best foreign player in the V-League with 21 goals for Binh Duong. In 2009, he was the second Brazilian-born footballer called up by the national team to a training session for the Asian Cup qualifiers.

The organising committee for the Golden Boot award said an award ceremony will be held at HCM City's Palace Hotel. Aside from the trophy, Alves will walk away with a cash-prize of VND20 million (US$1,000). — VNS

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Chelsea expose gulf in class with Marseille

Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka (2nd L) celebrates scoring with Florent Malouda (L) against Olympique Marseille during their Champions League soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London, September 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Premier League Chelsea exposed a gulf in class when they defeated French champions Olympique Marseille 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

Chelsea's superiority was so great in a one-sided Group F match, especially in the first half, that the match was over as a contest long before halftime even though they failed to add to John Terry's and Nicolas Anelka's goals scored inside the first 28 minutes.

Marseille manager Didier Deschamps, a former Chelsea favorite and an FA Cup winner with the Blues in 2000, marveled at Chelsea's performance afterwards, saying he believed they were one of the favorites to win this season's competition, despite a recent mini-slump domestically.

"We were dominated both physically and technically, there was a huge gulf in class between the two sides," Deschamps told reporters. "Chelsea had a very effective first half and we lacked a bit of aggression.”

“Although we did better in the second half, you have to say they could easily have scored a third.

"We came here full of ambition, and full of hope, and despite the fact they had some of their main players missing they were still full of internationals.”

He added, "We were vastly inferior in the first half at least and Chelsea remain one of the favorites to be champions of Europe. They were so solid and efficient."

Marseille could have done with the kind of industrious midfield graft that Deschamps was famous for in his pomp.

Instead, their midfield was overrun by Chelsea's with Michael Essien the dominant force, helping Chelsea to take a stranglehold on the game after Terry scored with a deft flick from a Gael Kakuta corner after seven minutes.

They effectively sealed the points when Anelka scored with a 28th-minute penalty.

Ancelotti delight

Underpinning every attack was an inspired Florent Malouda, who tormented the Marseille defense with his jinking runs and invention. French youngster Kakuta also terrorized his compatriots with a glittering performance on the other flank.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, happy for his side to avoid a third successive defeat after losses to Newcastle United and Manchester City in the past week, was delighted.

"It was an important result after those two defeats, which we can now forget about," he told reporters.

"Now we have six points, we are top of the group and have a good chance of finishing first.”

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