Football

PVF captain Bùi Hoàng Sơn tackles the ball during a match between PVF and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai on March 10 in Hưng Yên Province. PVF won 5-0. Photos of VFF

HƯNG YÊN — Host PVF grabbed a big 5-0 victory against Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in the opening match of the National U17 Football Championship on March 10 in Hưng Yên Province.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai held off PVF for nearly 30 minutes before totally collapsing.

Phùng Quang Tú opened the scoring with a close-range header that went over goalkeeper Nguyễn Trần Mạnh Hiếu's reach into the net at the 28th minute.

It was 2-0 for the defending champion 12 minutes later when Tú set up a perfect ball for Nguyễn Sĩ Mạnh Dũng in the five-metre box to tear Hiếu's net for the second time.

Dũng made his double 13 minutes after the break, before captain Bùi Hoàng Sơn and Nguyễn Trọng Đức Vũ scored one each to seal their first three points at the tournament.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai tried to rearrange their team after conceding the first two goals. All the changes that were made to improve their situation did not work.

In the earlier match of Group A, Hà Nội and SHB Đà Nẵng tied each other in a goalless match.

In Group B, Sông Lam Nghệ An trounced Khánh Hòa 7-0, the highest score of the day. Earlier, Huế defeated Đồng Tháp 3-0.

Sông Lam Nghệ An had a brilliant start at the U17 championship, beating Khánh Hòa 7-0.

In Group C at Thanh Trì Stadium, Viettel met almost no difficulty in beating HCM City 2-1. Hà Tĩnh drew Bình Phước 2-2.

"In recent years, Vietnamese youth football teams have made remarkable achievements in continental competitions. This has resulted from the Việt Nam Football Federation's strong investment in national youth football tournaments," said Trần Anh Tú, vice president of the VFF.

"I believe that the U17 championship finals will be a quality event where we will find talented players for the national teams leading to future championships," he said.

The 2023 tournament features 12 teams in three groups.

The three top teams in the group stage, three second-place teams and two third-place clubs will advance to the quarter-finals.

The final match will be on March 21 with the champions walking away with VNĐ100 million (US$4,200).

The second- and third-place teams will enjoy VNĐ80 million ($3,400) and VNĐ50 million (2,100), respectively.

The organisers will also deliver awards for the MVP, top scorer and best goalkeeper, who will receive VNĐ10 million ($420) each. VNS