Football

National champions Thanh Hóa University will face strong rivals at the first International Student Football Tournament in HCM City. Photos courtesy of organisers

HCM CITY — Hosts Tôn Đức Thắng University are determined to put their recent local loss behind them as they set their sights on a strong performance at the first International Student Football Tournament, which kicks off on March 22 in HCM City.

Tôn Đức Thắng University will face Cambodian champions, Life University, in the opening match of Group A, which also features the National University of Laos.

Group B consists of Việt Nam’s national champions, Thanh Hóa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside University of Malaya and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Singapore.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format in the group stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Facing high-calibre regional opponents, Vietnamese teams have undergone rigorous preparation, with players encouraged to give their best in every match.

According to coach Nguyễn Đình Long, hosts Tôn Đức Thắng University have the unique advantage of playing in front of thousands of home supporters, in a familiar environment and on home turf.

However, he acknowledged the challenge of having a squad primarily composed of first- and second-year students, who have had limited opportunities to hone their skills and gain experience in major competitions.

“We worked hard but were regrettably stopped in the quarter finals of the national championship. Now, we will forget our sadness and look for a better result in the international tournament,” Long said, adding that he has called up new players to strengthen the team.

“The core of the squad mostly remains unchanged, and we will give our all on home ground.”

Meanwhile, coach Nguyễn Công Thành hopes to extend Thanh Hóa’s unbeaten streak from the domestic to the international competition.

The team claimed the national title after an impressive nine-match campaign without a single defeat, keeping a clean sheet in five of those games.

“My players are excited after winning the national championship and can't wait to play international teams. Malaysian and Singaporean students train using advanced football methods, so they will be really strong opponents,” Thành said.

“Nothing can be predicted at this stage. We will sit down to analyse our weaknesses from the previous tournament and address them for this international event.

“We respect all our opponents and will develop strategies for each match and strive for the best possible result.”

Nanyang Technology University players from Singapore arrive in HCM City on March 20.

The NTU team arrived in HCM City on March 20, eager to compete.

Defender Benjamin Yi Sheng Chik expressed his team’s ambition to leave a lasting impression at their first international student tournament.

“We are proud to represent NTU here. We will fight for this honour and for the pride of our school,” he said. “We have trained diligently and worked hard on the pitch to deliver strong performances. Our team's spirit is to keep fighting and fighting."

"We are confident that we will give our all. The Malaysian university and Thanh Hóa University teams are both strong, but let’s wait and see what we can do."

NTU are the champions of the Singapore University Games and the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Games.

"Success in our domestic competitions has led us to this tournament. We appreciate the opportunity and will make every effort," said manager Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri.

"Sport helps train people. Students learn valuable lessons when playing football. We have come to this competition to prove ourselves, both in terms of personal qualities and team spirit. In addition to making efforts on the field, the whole team also wants to promote the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange between Southeast Asian countries." VNS