Football 

Sông Lam Nghệ An celebrate their sixth National U21 Football Championship title on July 25. The team defeated Thể Công-Viettel 1-0 in the final in Hưng Yên Province. Photo courtesy of VFF

HƯNG YÊN — Sông Lam Nghệ An won big at the National U21 Football Championship on July 25, going home with the trophy and most of the individual awards.

Bùi Thanh Đức scored the winning goal near the end of the final's first half to help Sông Lam Nghệ An defeat Thể Công-Viettel 1-0 at the PVF Stadium in Hưng Yên Province.

Both two sides began the match cautiously, prioritising safety. Sông Lam Nghệ An controlled possession, while Thể Công-Viettel played defensively and waited for opportunities to counter attack.

Thanh Bình found the back of Sông Lam Nghệ An's net in the 33rd minute but the goal was ruled out after he was caught offside.

Nearly 10 minutes later, Đức capitalised on a loose ball following a corner kick. His powerful first-time strike from inside the box left the Thể Công-Viettel defenders and goalkeeper with no chance of making a save.

Sông Lam Nghệ An continued to dominate after the break and nearly doubled their advantage in the 50th minute. Quang Vinh unleashed a curling effort from around 25 metres, but goalkeeper Đức Duy produced a fine save to keep his side in the game.

With six minutes to go, Lê Nguyên Hoàng of Sông Lam Nghệ An received second yellow card.

Thể Công-Viettel continuously increased the pressure in the final minutes, however, goalkeeper Cao Văn Bình and his defenders were too hard to beat.

It was the sixth time that Sông Lam Nghệ An took this title, ending 12 years of waiting.

In addition to the championship trophy, Sông Lam Nghệ An players also took three individual awards. Striker Phùng Văn Nam shared with Trương Nhật Minh of HCM City the Top Scorer statue with four goals.

Best Goalkeeper title went to Bình who was also the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Hà Nội and LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai received bronze medals while HCM City won the fair-play award. — VNS