U23 Vietnam beat all opponents, won the SEA Games 31 gold medal; Man City was held to a 2-2 draw by West Ham

Coach Park Hang-seo: U23 Vietnam defeated all opponents, won the 31st SEA Games gold medal

Coach Park Hang-seo affirmed that U23 Vietnam will gradually improve itself, defeat all opponents to defend the SEA Games gold medal.

"We got 3 more points and won a ticket to the semi-finals as the top of Group A. I think the players tried their best. I thank them. U23 Vietnam always fights with the spirit of oneness, will improve each weakness and enhance organization to complete the goal of winning the gold medal. The whole team tries to have the best performance at this year's SEA Games," coach Park Hang-seo said after the 2-0 victory over Timor Leste.

Coach Park Hang-seo.

Talking about the next opponent ofU23 VietnamIn the semi-finals, coach Park Hang-seo said: "I did not have the opportunity to watch U23 Malaysia play in person, but only watched on TV. Malaysia has good organization and defense system.

Thailand has technical players. The young players in the attack of this team like number 18 and 19 are also very talented. I am impressed with them."

"A warrior, if he is not confident when going into battle, will not win. With the mindset of a brave warrior, I affirm that U23 Vietnam will confidently go into battle and win," Coach Park Hang-seo affirmed that U23 Vietnam will defeat any opponent on the journey to defend the SEA Games gold medal.

With the top position in Group A, U23 Vietnam will meet 1 of 2 opponents U23 Malaysia or U23 Thailand in the semi-finals, taking place on May 19.

Meanwhile, coach Fabio Maciel da Silva of U23 Timor Leste said goodbye to SEA Games 31 after losing to U23 Vietnam: "I always try to help the team achieve good results at the tournament. Before saying goodbye to Vietnam, I am very proud of my students. We encountered many strong teams with many professional players of outstanding level.

I am delighted to see the Vietnamese teams improving in such a short time. Hopefully one day I will see Vietnam participating in the World Cup."

Phan Hien and his teammates brought home 5 gold medals for Vietnamese dancesport at SEA Games 31

Nguyen Doan Minh Truong (also known as Phan Hien) and his dance partner Dang Thu Huong won a "hat-trick" of Gold Medals in the dancesport competition on the afternoon of May 15.

On the afternoon of May 15, at Long Bien Stadium, Dancesport officially started.

Couple Phan Hien and Thu Huong won gold medals in all three categories: Paso Doble, Jive and 5 Latin dances.

On the afternoon of May 15, the finals of 6 events took place including: Samba, Cha cha cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive and 5 Latin dances. Vietnam competed in the finals of all 6 events with 2 pairs of athletes Nguyen Trung Kien - Pham Hong Anh and Nguyen Doan Minh Truong (Phan Hien) - Dang Thu Huong.

The couple Phan Hien and Dang Thu Huong had an excellent afternoon of competition in all the events they participated in. Phan Hien and Dang Thu Huong achieved a "hattrick" of Gold Medals for Vietnamese dancesport. Phan Hien and Thu Huong won Gold Medals in 3 events: Paso Doble, Jive and 5 Latin dances.

The couple Nguyen Trung Kien and Pham Hong Anh also competed very impressively. This couple also brought home 2 Gold Medals in Samba and Rumba along with 1 Silver Medal in Cha Cha Cha.

Nguyen Thi Oanh scored a hat-trick of Gold, breaking the record at SEA Games 31

After winning the women's 1,500m and 5,000m races on the opening day, athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh continued to bring home her third gold medal and broke the SEA Games record in the 3,000m steeplechase event.

At My Dinh Stadium (Hanoi) on the afternoon of May 15, Nguyen Thi Oanh proved her superiority in the regional arena when she left her opponents far behind, even more than 1 lap of the field to complete the hat-trick of Gold at the SEA Games at home.

Nguyen Thi Oanh's achievement was 9 minutes 52 seconds 44, breaking the SEA Games record she set in 2019 in the Philippines (10 minutes 00 seconds 02).

Athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh.

Nguyen Thi Oanh shared that she was surprised by today's record because yesterday her competition schedule was quite tight, 2 events a day. After each event, due to doping tests, she had very little time to rest. Although she was worried about whether she would be healthy enough to complete all her events, when she arrived at the stadium, she told herself that she would try her best to compete in the last event.

Witnessing his students' excellent performance, Coach Nguyen Van Sy said, the standard time forSEA Games 31Despite many difficulties due to the epidemic, both teachers and students have had plans to adapt and achieve the results they have today.

"Because we were not able to go abroad for training for many reasons, we had to find a training location in Hue. During that trip, the teachers and students agreed to focus on each other, at the same time to change the environment and avoid contact and distraction due to many other situations. After that trip, today we have very happy results" - Coach Nguyen Van Sy said.

Man City held to 2-2 draw by West Ham

Man City threw away part of their advantage in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw against West Ham on the night of May 15.

Being too hasty in pushing the squad up made Man City pay dearly against an opponent with a specialty in defensive counter-attacking like West Ham.

Coach David Moyes' team used a large number of players to fill the gap in front of the goal and needed 2 shots on target to score 2 goals in the first half. Jarrod Bowen, the brightest star of the "Hammers" this season, shone with 2 situations of breaking the offside trap and finishing dangerously, leaving Ederson helpless in the 24th and 45th minutes.

Man City had no choice but to go all out in the second half. Jack Grealish, who had been criticised for his performance, rekindled the defending champions' hopes with a thumping strike into the West Ham net in the 49th minute. Twenty minutes later, Vladimir Coufal, the home team's centre-back, brought the game back to the starting line with an own goal.

Bowen has contributed to 22 goals this season (12 goals, 10 assists). Photo: Reuters

The drama escalated in the final minutes. Gabriel Jesus earned a penalty after being brought down in the penalty area. The referee carefully consulted the slow-motion video before giving the visitors the advantage. In the 86th minute, Riyad Mahrez took charge, but his penalty from 11m could not beat goalkeeper Fabianski.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Man City still held the top spot with a 4-point gap with Liverpool (90 vs. 86). However, in the final match, instead of just needing a draw, Man City had to beat Aston Villa to defend the Premier League title.

Thanh Hien