Cua Ong bewilder India 1-0 in opener

Striker Le Thi Hoai Thu”s shot at the 33th minute helped Cua Ong defeat India 1-0 in the opening match of the International Women”s Football Tournament, Viet Nam Coal Open yesterday in Quang Ninh Province.

Thu received the ball in the centre of the field, running all the way to the penalty box before tapping it past three defenders and Indian goalie Robitadevi.

Although the shot should have been an easy save, Robitadevi mistimed her dive due to the glaring, sunny day.

Because of the serious mistake, Robitadevi was sidelined in the second half of the match, her place taken by younger team-mate Roba-lachaun.

During the match, the hosts Cua Ong strongly dominated their rivals who participated in the tournament for the first time. They had many more opportunities to score goals but failed to make accurate shots or communicate to each other in decisive passes.

Striker Dieu Huyen nearly doubled the score for Cua Ong near the end of the match. She received the ball from her partner in the box but her header went over the cross bar. Her team-mate Tuyet Nhung also failed to score at the next opportunity.

Meanwhile, the visitors attacks were not sharp enough to break through Cua Ong Coal”s defence, and strikers were not working together to provide scoring opportunities.

Cua Ong Coal”s attacks constantly kept the Indian team on their backfoot, having to provide constant support to each other.

Winning the match gave Cua Ong three points and currently puts them at the top of the championship ladder.

The Viet Nam Coal Open event, which is recognised as one of the tourneys under the Asian Football Confederation”s system, will present VND50 million (US$3,200), VND30 million ($1,900) and VND20 million ($1,300) to the top three teams.

Four teams, Cua Ong Coal, Viet Nam women”s team, Chinese Taipei and India, will compete in a round robin for the prizes and awards including fair-play, the best player, the top scorer and the best goalkeeper.

(VNS)