Off the pitch: 'We're getting our fill of shrimp paste!'

The shrimp paste is ready!

The sadness of the Cua Lo youth players after their heavy defeat against Thanh Chuong youth team. Photo: Thanh Phuc.

Following the opening ceremony, both teams from the coastal town of Cua Lo played their opening match. However, after the "older" team lost to the Do Luong children's team with a score of 1-5, the "younger" team also lost to the Thanh Chuong children's team with a score of 1-4 on the children's field.

Calling family to update them on the match results, a fan lamented: "I'm screwed! Utterly unlucky! I lost everything, big or small, I lost completely."

The tiny brass band!

Despite it being the last match of the day, and already dinnertime, the stands were still packed with enthusiastic fans from Nhut village cheering on the Thanh Chuong children's team. Particularly noteworthy was the "tiny brass band" – a group of preschool children (4-5 years old) with their very special Vuvuzela horn ensemble.

"The Little Brass Band" of Thanh Chuong children. Photo: Thanh Phuc

After a successful dribble, a brilliant shot, or a precise save by the home team's players, the trumpets blare loudly and continuously. The sound of the trumpets seems to urge and incite, giving an "invisible" strength that makes the players' feet more agile, their dribbling more precise, and their shots more spectacular, resulting in beautiful goals.

And it was that tiny brass band that gave the team from Nhut the extra strength to achieve a resounding victory against the Cua Lo children's team in their opening match.

Single fathers raising their children

For this season, Thanh Chuong only has a children's team participating, and due to objective reasons and limited capacity, the coaching staff and caregivers for the young players are all male.

Coach Van Thanh Chuong takes care of the Thanh Chuong youth players after the match. Photo: Thanh Phuc.

After each half, during breaks, or when substitutions occur, the coaches rush to wash towels and wipe the children's faces as they leave the field. Coach Van Thanh Chuong even meticulously massages the young players; some coaches even carefully find brooms to mop the field so the children can sit clean and cool. This thoughtful, albeit somewhat clumsy, care from the coaches touches many hearts, and the young players, feeling this love, "repay" it with skillful plays and beautiful goals.