National team ties in goal-less match

Viet Nam team was tied in a goal-less match by host team Coal-Minerals in the opening match of the International Women”s Coal-Minerals Football Tournament yesterday in Quang Ninh Province.

The national members failed to set up a chance at dominating the local team although they had a 10-day training session in cool Tam Dao, Vinh Phuc Province.

Before the game, Viet Nam head coach Chen Yun Fat said the biggest weakness of the team is their physical strength, because the majority of the players are past their prime while the young members are not yet fully in charge of their positions.

Their forwards were continuously blocked by the hosts who played defensively the entire match.

The Viet Nam team succeeded, however, in stopping Coal”s offensive assaults as well.

Viet Nam”s Chinese coach”s target of winning the tournament, that he mentioned to the press days before, seemed shaky after the match. In the previous game, China”s Shandong team defeated Laos 1-0.

With the result, Shandong is ranked first, followed by Viet Nam and Coal with Laos at the bottom.

In the next match, Viet Nam will play Shandong while Laos is to face the Chinese Taipei.

The tournament which is also known as the Viet Nam Sports Newspaper Cup is a chance for the national female players to practise before taking part in December”s 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

It has seen three foreign teams from Chinese Taipei, Laos and the Shandong team from China playing in a round robin against host rivals Cua Ong Coal and the national team.

The two best teams will enter the final match. The winner of the tournament will receive VND60 million (US$3,700) while the two runners-up will take home VND40 million and VND20 million, respectively.

The organisers will offer other prizes for fair-play, best goalkeeper, best scorer and best player.

The final match is scheduled for November 5.

VNS