Ho Chi Minh City has taken 13 golds, 4 silvers and 13 bronzes to grab the 25m-swimming championship title at a national tournament, which closed at the My Dinh Underwater Sports Palace in Hanoi on March 19.

Da Nang ranked in 2nd place with 9 golds and 4 bronzes, followed by Quang Binh with 3 golds and 7 silvers and Hanoi with 2 golds, 2 silvers and 3 bronzes.

According to experts, the event this year marked the coming-of-age of a series of young athletes such as Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, who broke 10 individual national records and a team national record, and Hoang Quy Phuoc, who broke 6 individual national records and a team national record.

As scheduled, in early April, Vietnam’s national swimming team will go abroad for training in preparation for the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD), which will be held in Guangzhou in China, late this year.

V-League: Song Lam Nghe An suffer home loss to Binh Duong 

Song Lam Nghe An lost 1-0 to Binh Duong in a game of few chances on March 20.

At Vinh stadium, hosts Song Lam Nghe An and Binh Duong who respected each other, started the match carefully. Both teams played very solidly in their defence and there was no real chance to score in the first half.

But six minutes into the second half, Au Van Hoan presented a penalty to guests Binh Duong when he played handball in the box. Kesley scored the opener for Binh Duong from the penalty spot.

After the goal, the match became more attractive with quicker attacks from both sides. Song Lam Nghe An applied pressure on the guests to level the score. In the 57th minute, Au Van Hoan missed his chance when he shot wide of the right post from close range. Then Rajko Viodovic headed twice over the crossbar in the 72nd and 81st minutes.

In the last minutes, the hosts intensified their attacks but all their efforts were in vain and they conceded a 1-0 loss to guests Binh Duong.

In another match, Da Nang edged Navibank Saigon 1-0 at Chi Lang stadium. The goal was scored by Da Nang’s top scorer Gaston Merlo.

AFC Cup 2010: Da Nang fight back to beat Geylang Utd 3-2

Da Nang came back from behind to beat Geylang United  (Singapore) 3-2 in the second AFC Cup match at Chi Lang stadium on March 17.

Da Nang dominated the game from the start, producing a series of attacks but could not open up Geylang United’s solid defence with many players.

Geylang took the lead in the 18th minute when Walid Lounis fired in from Dicson’s cross.

After the goal, Da Nang intensified their pressure on the visitors to fight back and their efforts paid back. Gaston Merlo levelled the score with his header from Quang Cuong’s  fine cross in the 40th minute.

The equaliser encouraged Da Nang players to beat the guests. In the 70th minute Nicolas Hernandes gave Da Nang the lead with his wonderful header from Quang Cuong’s cross. But four minutes later, Siddig Durimi equalised for Geylang United with his super header.

Substitute Hung Son scored the winner for Da Nang in the 89th minute, sealing a 3-2 win over Geylang United.

In another match of Group H, NT Realty Wofoo  Tai po (Hong Kong) lost 1-0 to Thai Port (Thailand).

As a result, Da Nang topped Group H with 6 points from two matches and Thai Port with three points moved into second place.

Hanoi Trang An I claim top spot

Hanoi Trang An I edged Vietnam Coal and Mineral 3-2 yesterday to jump on top after the third round of the National Women's Football Championship. 

Ngoc Anh and Minh Nguyet helped Hanoi Trang An I quickly took the lead of 2-0 right in the first half.

Nguyen Thi Hanh and Le Thi Hien then equalised for Vietnam Coal and Mineral in the 26th and 81st minutes respectively. However, Minh Nguyet's late goal in the 83rd minute brought Hanoi Trang An I an important victory over the arch rivals to reach the top spot in the standings.

With seven points, Hanoi Trang An I have currently topped the table while Vietnam Coal and Mineral and Phong Phu Ha Nam share the second place.

Thai Nguyen remained at the bottom position with only one point after three games.

The tournament’s fourth round will take place tomorrow with a clash between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi Trang An II.

Vietnamese women’s football leads the Southeastern Asia

The Vietnam women's football team have still occupied their leading spot in the Southeastern Asian region and stand 32nd in the world ranking with 1638 points, according to the latest FIFA’s world rankings.

With 1600 points, Thailand have slipped one place to rank 34th in the world and occupy the second place in the Southeast Asia. They are followed by the world's No.43 Myanmar. 

The USA still dominate in the world’s top 10 with 2227 points. The 2nd and 3rd places go to Brazil and Sweden respectively.

The FIFA rankings for women’s football in the next quarter will be announced on May 28.

Source: VNN