U19 international football champs kicks off in Nha Trang

The first U19 international football championship kicked off in the south central province of Khanh Hoa’s Nha Trang city on April 11 with the participation of five teams, including those from Chinese Taipei, Myanmar and the Republic of Korea and two teams of Vietnam.

Nguyen Khac Ha, head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Khanh Hoa addresses the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA).

Addressing the opening ceremony, Nguyen Cong Khe, head of the organising board, said that he hopes the tournament will help young Vietnamese players accumulate experience before joining the Olympic and national teams in the next few years.

The champions will receive gold medals and a cash prize of 10,000 USD. The runner-ups will get silver medals and 6,000 USD, while the third team will pockets bronze medals and 4,000 USD.

The organising board will also select the best player, the best goal keeper, and the best scorer. Each of them will receive a cash prize of 500 USD.

Following the opening ceremony, U19 Hoang Anh Gia Lai played U19 Gwangju from the Republic of Korea. The match saw many missing goal opportunities and concluded with a 0-0 result.

The championship, jointly organised by the Thanh Nien Media Corporation and the Vietnam Football Federation, will run until April 22.

(Source: VNA)