The champions of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup 2017 season.

(Baonghean) - The 21st Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament has determined the winners of the gold trophy for the 2017 season.

TN Quynh Luu: “Real Madrid Cup of Newspapers”

As the reigning champions of 2016, the Quynh Luu Youth Football Team is determined to maintain its achievements and live up to the expectations of the people of the district. Mr. Nguyen Van Ky, Director of the Culture and Sports Center and Head of the Quynh Luu District Football Team participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup 2017, stated: "The Quynh Luu team currently possesses a very strong and well-rounded youth team, carefully selected from over 60 players from three training academies: Giat, Son Hai, and Tuan. Training time has been more intensive, lasting almost a year. In a friendly match against the team that won the championship last year, the Quynh Luu Youth Team easily won the 2017 season. The team's goal is to maintain its achievements and win the double cup for two consecutive years."

In the group stage, TN Quynh Luu was in Group C – considered the "group of death" with the presence of two other strong teams, TN Yen Thanh and TN Cua Lo. In their first match against TN Cua Lo, TN Quynh Luu won 4-0, securing the first ticket to the quarterfinals. In their second match against TN Yen Thanh, the TN Quynh Luu coach fielded mostly reserve players, but the team still won with a score of 5-4. Coach Ho Quoc Huy of TN Quynh Luu confidently stated: "Other teams have to carefully choose their opponents in the quarterfinals; for Quynh Luu, all teams are the same. To win the championship, we have to defeat all the teams."

The Quynh Luu Youth Team celebrates winning the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. Photo: TC

Entering the quarter-finals, TN Quynh Luu faced TN Tuong Duong - the "dark horse" of the season with impressive victories in the group stage and a squad of players with good physique, stamina, and technique. However, in the match, the Quynh Luu players completely dominated their opponents and won with a score of 2-0.

In the semi-final match, TN Quynh Luu faced their long-time rival, TN Vinh City. In the 2016 season, TN Vinh City defeated TN Quynh Luu 7-0 in the group stage; meeting again in the final, TN Quynh Luu beat TN Vinh City in a penalty shootout to claim the championship. However, in this rematch, TN Quynh Luu proved superior, defeating their old opponent 2-0 and advancing strongly to the final.

The final match for TN Quỳnh Lưu in this tournament was a rematch against TN Yên Thành. Although the Quỳnh Lưu players faced some difficulties in the first half against the determination and progress of the Yên Thành players, resulting in a 1-1 draw, their superior physical condition in the second half allowed Coach Hồ Quốc Huy's team to completely dominate and secure a 4-1 victory, successfully defending their title in the Nghệ An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament. TN Quỳnh Lưu's journey over the past two seasons has many similarities to Real Madrid – the UEFA Champions League champions of the past two seasons – leading many to call them the "Real Madrid of the Newspaper Cup".

Fans in Quynh Luu are fully prepared with flags and drums to cheer on their home team. Photo: Chu Thanh

Looking back at the success of the Quynh Luu Youth Team over the past two years, it's clear that their championship victories didn't come from chance or a "bumper crop" of talent, but from the heartfelt dedication of the district's people to children, and the support of individuals and groups. The Quynh Luu team's matches are always met with enthusiastic cheers from local fans. The resounding drumbeats from the stands have added strength and propelled the Quynh Luu Youth Team forward. Secondly, it's due to the systematic investment and support; currently, among the 21 districts and cities in the province, only Quynh Luu has maintained a youth football league for over 20 years and boasts three amateur talent classes. The success of the Quynh Luu Youth Team also stems from the arduous training of both teachers and students over many months. With their 2017 championship title, the Quynh Luu Youth Team has now won five championships, becoming one of the most successful teams in the Newspaper Cup. We believe that these consecutive championships will become a great source of encouragement for the "cradle of Nghe An football" to produce more Golden Ball winners like Duong Hong Son, Le Cong Vinh...

Hoang Mai District: An impressive journey

When the final whistle blew, all the players, coaching staff, and fans of Hoang Mai Youth Team erupted in joy at their victory. And rightly so, before the tournament, Hoang Mai Youth Team wasn't highly rated. However, from the first match to the last, they showed they fully deserved the championship, concluding an impressive journey...

Hoang Mai children's team with the championship trophy. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Looking back at Hoang Mai's journey in this tournament, their lifting of the championship trophy is entirely deserved. In this year's tournament, Hoang Mai was the only team to remain undefeated and also the highest-scoring team. Even in the group stage, Phung Quang Nam, Tran Quoc Anh, and their teammates scored 13 goals, including 10 against Quy Chau and 3 against Hung Nguyen – a strong contender for the championship.

In the quarter-finals, Hoang Mai team continued their winning streak with a resounding 7-0 victory over Cua Lo team. In the semi-final, Hoang Mai team once again impressed the audience and experts alike with their dominant performance, defeating Nghi Loc team 4-2.

Hoang Mai's opponent in the final was Tan Ky, a team with a tradition of solid and disciplined play. Throughout the first half, the Hoang Mai players struggled to launch attacks, and this was the only half in which the young players from the northernmost town of Nghe An province failed to score. In the second half, their attacks became sharper, but it wasn't until the final minutes that they scored two consecutive goals. Despite conceding a goal to narrow the gap in the final minute, the 2-1 victory was enough for Hoang Mai to win the championship for the first time. Furthermore, Hoang Mai also swept the individual awards, including Top Scorer and Best Player of the tournament, for Phung Van Nam.

Sharing his thoughts after the final match, Coach Ho Huu Tien of Hoang Mai Youth Team said: “Before this match, because I was worried about the children's mental state, I encouraged them that no matter what, they are already champions in the hearts of their coach and the fans who have followed them here. Winning a highly competitive tournament like the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament will give them a truly meaningful summer.”

Players and coaching staff of Hoang Mai Youth Team celebrate after winning the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. Photo: Canh Nam.

Coach Ho Huu Tien also added that this is only the fourth time Hoang Mai Town has participated in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament, but compared to previous participations, this year's team has had many opportunities to improve its professional skills. Firstly, since 2016, the town has had an amateur talent class run by SLNA Club, making player selection and training easier. In addition, this year, the town has several more artificial turf fields, providing better conditions for young players to practice. Furthermore, the increased attention and investment from local authorities and businesses have encouraged the entire team to perform exceptionally well.

According to experts, Hoang Mai team is considered to have a well-rounded squad, and their playing style is based on collective cohesion, not relying on any single individual, even with the tournament's best player, Phung Van Nam. The players also follow the coach's instructions well, avoiding haste in their attacking plays. Thanks to this style of play, Hoang Mai overcame even the toughest opponents to win the cup. This is a well-deserved reward and also serves as motivation for the football movement in this northernmost town of Nghe An province to develop even more strongly in the future.

Thanh Son - Canh Nam