The journey to successfully defend the 'throne' of Tan Ky Children

As the reigning champion of the tournament, the name Tan Ky always makes opponents wary. Right from the time of the draw for this year's group, many teams hoped to avoid being in the group with Tan Ky. After the draw, Tan Ky was placed in group E, with only 3 teams choosing 1 team to enter the Quarterfinals, the 2 opponents in the same group were Quynh Luu and Nghi Loc.

Tan Ky Children are confident in the match to win the gold cup. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Right from the first match, the red whirlwind Tan Ky showed their absolute strength against Nhi Dong Nghi Loc with a 9-0 victory, the match with the highest goal difference of the tournament. Nghi Loc players were completely defeated by the defending champion's attack.

Next round,Tan Ky Children'sfacing Quynh Luu, this is considered the final match of the group because Quynh Luu also won against Nghi Loc, and whichever team wins before this direct confrontation will have a ticket to play in the Quarterfinals. Although they tried very hard, the players of Quynh could not make it difficult for Tan Ky because the other team was too brave and had even lines.

Tan Ky Children's Team is a fear for its opponents this year. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Nhi Dong Tan Ky finished the group stage with 2 absolute victories, scoring 11 goals and not conceding any. That number clearly reflects the strength of the team from Len Roi.

In the Quarterfinal 1 match, Tan Ky's opponent was Nhi Dong Nam Dan, the team that won the second place in the group. Despite their best efforts, the players from Uncle Ho's hometown could not stop Tan Ky's fiery attacking style and accepted a 3-0 defeat. Up to this point, Tan Ky had become the team with the strongest attack when scoring 14 goals without the goalkeeper having to pick the ball out of the net once.

Number 5 Tran Dang Dat (red shirt) is an important explosive of Tan Ky Children's School. Photo: Thanh Cuong

It was thought that Nhi dong Tan Ky would speed to the finish line with an outstanding performance, but in the semi-final match, Nhi dong Thanh Chuong brought the players' feet back to earth. Before this match, Thanh Chuong was a team that was considered weaker in terms of physique, technique, and their achievements in the group stage were also much worse than the defending champion. However, Nhi dong Thanh Chuong played bravely, making the "king" sweat and Tan Ky could only overcome the team from the land of the monkeys in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.

Having excelled over a series of "big names" in the tournament, Nhi dong Tan Ky and Nhi dong Quy Hop were present in the final match to compete for the championship. This was not only a confrontation between two neighbors, but also the two most recent champions of the tournament. Nhi dong Quy Hop was crowned Champion in the 23rd season in 2019; after a 2-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the mountain town of Tan Ky was crowned king when the tournament returned in the 24th season in 2022. The dream final between the two "kings" was full of emotion and drama.

Tan Ky Children's Team shows formidable strength this year. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Although Quy Hop took the lead with an own goal by goalkeeper Pham Vu Doan Long in the 15th minute of the first half, Nhi Dong Tan Ky was not shaken, they pressed forward to find an equalizer and the result came after a classy finish by number 10 Tran Van Minh Quan, ending the first half with a draw.

Entering the second half, the bravery of the Champion Tan Ky was shown with beautiful and effective attacks, the young players returned to their usual form throughout the season. 2 goals in the second half sealed the 3-1 victory for Tan Ky, helping the Len Roi team defend the title, which is not easy to do in a competitive tournament like the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth - Children Football Tournament.

Emotions exploded when Nhi Dong Tan Ky beat Thanh Chuong on penalty kick. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Tan Ky's path to the championship this year was a combination of many factors, including the excellence of outstanding players, with the great contribution of captain number 4 Cao Huy Hoang. He is not only the team leader but also the "steel shield" in front of the goal, with beautiful saves and diving situations, thanks to which Tan Ky is the team that conceded the fewest goals in the tournament. He is also the best player of the tournament in the Children's age group.

In addition, number 5 Tran Dang Dat was also an excellent striker, winning the title of top scorer of the tournament. He played tirelessly both offensively and defensively, and he was also the one who determined the 3-1 victory over Quy Hop in the final match.

Tan Ky Children's Team successfully defended the Championship title convincingly. Photo: Pham Bang

The road to the throne of Tan Ky is also the solidarity of the players, the calm demeanor in each phase of the ball, the steady mentality in tense moments such as the penalty kick in the semi-finals, along with the guidance and trust of coach Nguyen Van Linh as well as the belief and enthusiastic cheering of parents and spectators. Tan Ky Children's Football Team ended the tournament with the championship for the second consecutive time, also the 7th time in the 25-year history of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, a very proud record./.