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Hà Nội Police have high hopes for V.League 1 debut

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Football

Coach Paulo Foiani (2nd right) instructs Hà Nội Police FC players during a friendly tournament that ended on January 16 in the capital. The Brazilian hopes to lead his club to a top-three finish in the 2023 V.League 1. Photo of Hà Nội Police FC

HÀ NỘI — V.League 1 new boys Hà Nội Police FC have attracted a number of quality players including national team members with high hopes for their debut season.

The tournament will begin on February 3 and will end after five and a half months, the shortest event in history. It made the switch to synchronise with the FIFA’s and AFC’s competition systems.

Hà Nội Police, formerly  People’s Public Security FC, advanced to the national premier league after winning the V.League 2 title last October.

In their name-changing ceremony earlier this month, the international coaching team and new faces were introduced. Despite playing in the First Division for the very first time, they are aiming for a top-three finish.

Brazilian Paulo Foiani has signed as head coach. Before coming to Việt Nam, he took charge of 21 clubs in his home country. Among them were Sociedade Esportiva Juazeirense who finished second at the 2015 Copa Governador Da Bahia; Sinop Futebol and Sportivo who grabbed slots in the 2019 and 2021 Copa Do Brazil, respectively.

In his playing time, the midfielder was captain of Coritiba FC from 1997 to 2001.

“I want to build up a beautiful playing style, the Brazilian style, at Hà Nội Police. This is a club with determined and energic players that will hunt victories,” said Foniani, 46.

“I am excited about the new job and will try my best to glue players together into a strong and united team to achieve good results this season.”

Foiani will be assisted by Flavio Cruz. The Brazilian has been working in Việt Nam for seven years as both a player and coach with Huda Huế, Bình Định, Gia Định and Navibank Sài Gòn in both V.League 1 and V.League 2.

“I believe that Vietnamese football has made impressive progress with good preparation,” he said.

“Our football training centre at the PFV campus provides high-quality facility and training conditions. I think that Hà Nội Police’s young and determined players with good technique and tactical mind will help the team become a competitive opposition in the league and we will go far.”

The club has signed a two-year contract with defender Hồ Tấn Tài who was part of the national team that reached the final of the AFF Cup.

Hà Nội Police FC have announced their latest deal, a contract with national defender Hồ Tấn Tài, on their Facebook fanpage. — Photo of VFF

Tài signed a five-year deal with Bình Định FC early last year after almost two years playing for his hometown club. He was a key player to help the team finish third in the 2022 season. But recently, the club faced a financial crisis of VNĐ38.5 billion of debt including players’ salaries and bonuses. This is thought to be the reason that Tài’s left.

“I will try to compete, give my best, and help my team finish high in the V.League so that we will not disappoint our fans, coaches and owners,” he said.

Despite being a defender, Tài scored five goals in the 2022 V.League 1, two for the national team at the 2022 World Cup qualifications and one at the AFF Cup.

The club has also introduced national team defenders Vũ Văn Thanh and Đoàn Văn Hậu, midfielder Phan Văn Đức, and former U23 goalkeeper Bùi Tiến Dũng.

Former Becamex Bình Dương captain Tô Văn Vũ and striker Nguyễn Xuân Nam, also arrived in early January.

Duo Bùi Tiến Dụng and Sầm Ngọc Đức are also among the 10 new faces. They are expected to strengthen the team’s defence.

At the same time, they will guide young teammates who are home-grown players of the team in the tough V.League 1.

Hà Nội Police FC players train for the 2023 season. — Photo of Hà Nội Police FC

In the first-round match, Hà Nội Police will host Bình Định at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium.

Following the tournament format, 14 teams will play in round robin in the first period. In the second, the top six teams will vie for the championship trophy while the rest will fight to avoid relegation. VNS

 

 

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/ha-noi-police-have-high-hopes-for-vleague-1-debut_341038.html

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Việt Nam ready for Iraqi challenge at Doha Cup

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Vietnamese players training for the 2023 Doha Cup in Qatar. Việt Nam will play Iraq on March 22. Photos courtesy of the VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s U23 team, along with their coach Phillipe Troussier, are gearing up for the Doha Cup, a friendly tournament serving as a warm-up ahead of the 32nd SEA Games.

With high expectations from national supporters and coach Troussier alike, Việt Nam are hoping for some impressive wins.

“Players will gain invaluable experience through matches, making the Doha event incredibly important,” said Troussier, who has been in charge of the team for almost a month. “It will serve as a strong foundation for the team at the SEA Games.”

This will be Troussier’s debut tournament with Việt Nam, and he is hoping his players won’t be too hard on themselves if they make mistakes. His aim is for them to learn from their errors and never repeat them.

Ten teams are set to participate in the U23 Doha Cup, with each team facing off against two others in the first round. The organisers will determine the match-ups for the second round based on the results.

Việt Nam are scheduled to play Iraq and the UAE on March 22nd and 26th, respectively, in the late evening, as the games fall within the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

With such a high-stakes tournament and a challenging schedule, Vietnam’s U23 team and their fans eagerly await the excitement ahead.

French Phillipe Troussier will have his first tournament as head coach of the U23 Việt Nam at the Doha Cup from March 22-29. — Photo courtesy of the VFF

To prepare for the late evening matches in the Doha Cup, coach Troussier had his players train during the same hours as the competition, from 10pm to midnight.

“When we are on the field, it is 2am in Việt Nam time,” said goalkeeper Quan Văn Chuẩn. “It is difficult to avoid jetlag. However, our team staff and assistants are doing a good job, helping us to adjust to the new time zone.

“We are doing well with the training time and catching the pace of the coaches’ plans. My team and I are ready for the tournament. We will do the best for the highest results,”

Iraqi coach Radi Shenaishel said his biggest problems were that players do not have enough training together and the Ramadan holiday.

During the holy time, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking during the daytime, usually from dawn until dusk.

Of his 25-player squad, Shenaishel has called several who are playing in Europe, such as Evert Baram (Nuremberg, Germany), Mustafa Omran (U19 Atalanta, Italy), Hani Noseir (Trelleborg, Sweden) and Manuel Iylia (U21 Twente, Netherlands).

These players could only join the rest of the team on March 20 and had only two days of training together.

After Việt Nam, Iraq will play South Korea on March 26. 

However, Shenaishel is not put much weight on the cup. He said it was an opportunity for him to test players’ quality.

Even though a poor result would make his team receive criticism, Doha Cup is just a warm-up for larger events such as the West Asian U23 Championship and the 2024 Paris Olympic qualification.

The tournament will be live broadcast on FPT Play’s multi-platforms. VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/viet-nam-ready-for-iraqi-challenge-at-doha-cup_342625.html

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Walkers finish in top 10 at Asian championship

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Athletics

Vietnamese athletes (from left) Nguyễn Thành Ngưng, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Phúc, Nguyễn Thị Vân and Võ Xuân Vĩnh and coach Trần Anh Hiệp (centre) pose in Japan for the Asian Race Walking Championship. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Thị Thanh Phúc

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese athletes did not earn a ticket to the Olympic Games, although they completed better than expected and reached the top 10 at the Asian 20km Race Walking Championship in Nomi, Japan, on March 19.

SEA Games champion Nguyễn Thị Thanh Phúc finished sixth in the women’s category with a time of 1hr 45.45min. Teammate Nguyễn Thị Vân was fourth in the women’s open at 1:56.35.

The winner was Gao Lan of China who walked 1:29.25. She was followed by Ayane Yanai of the host (1:30.58) and Indian Priyanka Priyanka (1:32.27).

None of them qualified for the Paris Olympics as the standard time is 1:29.20.

On the men’s side, Nguyễn Thành Ngưng came seventh with a time of 1:30.27 while SEA Games champion Võ Xuân Vĩnh was seventh in the men’s open clocking in at 1:33.08.

Ngưng cut seven minutes from his time compared to what he did last May to take a SEA Games bronze medal. Vĩnh meanwhile did not reach his best after he switched to compete in triathlons for months and just practised walking recently. He walked 0.76sec slower than in the SEA Games.

Indian Akshdeep Singh (1:20.57), South Korean Choe Byeongkwang (1:21.20) and Chinese Wen Yongjie (1:22:44) were the top three finishers.

The Olympic standard to beat for the men is 1:20.10.

“It was my first Asian tournament since 2019. I met with strong rivals, I had not seen and walked against most of them before,” Phúc told Việt Nam News.

“In this fifth continental tournament, I found that many walkers were powerful but young. At my age of 31, I think that the result of 1:45.45 is really good. It makes me still on top of ASEAN,” she said.

The four athletes flew back home to continue training for the May SEA Games in Cambodia. Walk races will be held in Siem Reap on May 16. VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/sports/walkers-finish-in-top-10-at-asian-championship_342604.html

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Vietnamese defends WBA Asia belt at professional boxing tournament

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Vietnamese boxer Truong Dinh Hoang successfully defended his WBA Asia title at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday evening.

Hoang faced Baek Dae Hyun from South Korea in the match for the WBA Asia super middleweight belt.

Both Hoang and Baek showed confidence in their fighting techniques and tactics.

The two boxers exchanged lightning speed attacks with powerful hooks throughout the rounds.

Hoang began to have the edge over his opponent in the seventh round as he dished out accurate punches.

The Vietnamese boxer won the overall battle and successfully defended his WBA Asia super middleweight belt.

Nguyen Ngoc Hai reacts after defeating Campee Phayom at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Ngoc Hai reacts after defeating Campee Phayom at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

In the match for the WBA South Asia super-lightweight title, Nguyen Ngoc Hai from Vietnam faced Campee Phayom, a very strong contender from Thailand.

The turning point occurred in the second round when Campee lost his focus, allowing Hai to continuously dish out his attacks.

The Thai boxer fell down twice and tried to continue the fight, but the referee decided to stop the match and announced the technical knock-out victory for Hai.

At the tournament, Le Huu Toan, the reigning Asian mini-weight champion who ranks eight in the WBA world rankings, was challenged by Garen Diagan, former Filipino professional boxing champion in 2019.

Both Toan and Diagan started off the fight with powerful attacks.

Le Huu Toan (R) and Garen Diagan at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

Le Huu Toan (R) and Garen Diagan at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese boxer dominated the following rounds with his combinations of horizontal hooks and uppercuts, while Diagan played defense and managed to have many successful counterattacks.

Toan had his chance to finish off his opponent, but Diagan was able to evade the attacks thanks to his impressive stamina.

After 12 rounds, Diagan defeated Toan by just one point and won the WBA Asia mini-weight belt.

LEAD: Born to Lead is the largest professional boxing tournament in Vietnam, organized by Shadow Entertainment Company in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Boxing Federation.

This is the first time in the tournament’s history that three matches for the continental WBA belts have taken place.

The event also featured nine other exciting matches with competitors from Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Thailand.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnamese boxer Truong Dinh Hoang successfully defended his WBA Asia title at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday evening.

Hoang faced Baek Dae Hyun from South Korea in the match for the WBA Asia super middleweight belt.

Both Hoang and Baek showed confidence in their fighting techniques and tactics.

The two boxers exchanged lightning speed attacks with powerful hooks throughout the rounds.

Hoang began to have the edge over his opponent in the seventh round as he dished out accurate punches.

The Vietnamese boxer won the overall battle and successfully defended his WBA Asia super middleweight belt.

Nguyen Ngoc Hai reacts after defeating Campee Phayom at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Ngoc Hai reacts after defeating Campee Phayom at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

In the match for the WBA South Asia super-lightweight title, Nguyen Ngoc Hai from Vietnam faced Campee Phayom, a very strong contender from Thailand.

The turning point occurred in the second round when Campee lost his focus, allowing Hai to continuously dish out his attacks.

The Thai boxer fell down twice and tried to continue the fight, but the referee decided to stop the match and announced the technical knock-out victory for Hai.

At the tournament, Le Huu Toan, the reigning Asian mini-weight champion who ranks eight in the WBA world rankings, was challenged by Garen Diagan, former Filipino professional boxing champion in 2019.

Both Toan and Diagan started off the fight with powerful attacks.

Le Huu Toan (R) and Garen Diagan at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

Le Huu Toan (R) and Garen Diagan at the LEAD: Born to Lead professional boxing tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, March 25, 2023. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese boxer dominated the following rounds with his combinations of horizontal hooks and uppercuts, while Diagan played defense and managed to have many successful counterattacks.

Toan had his chance to finish off his opponent, but Diagan was able to evade the attacks thanks to his impressive stamina.

After 12 rounds, Diagan defeated Toan by just one point and won the WBA Asia mini-weight belt.

LEAD: Born to Lead is the largest professional boxing tournament in Vietnam, organized by Shadow Entertainment Company in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Boxing Federation.

This is the first time in the tournament’s history that three matches for the continental WBA belts have taken place.

The event also featured nine other exciting matches with competitors from Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Thailand.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/sports/20230326/vietnamese-defends-wba-asia-belt-at-professional-boxing-tournament/72270.html

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