Playing like warriors, Hoang Mai Children's team won the Nghe An Newspaper Cup championship.
The Hoàng Mai Children's team's path to winning the Nghe An Newspaper Cup this year, in addition to thorough preparation and a well-balanced squad, was also thanks to the outstanding individual performances and courageous play of its players.
Despite being a team from a young town, Hoang Mai quickly demonstrated its strength and superiority in sporting achievements. In particular, the Hoang Mai Children's Football Team once won the championship in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. However, in recent seasons, the Hoang Mai Children's team has not reached the pinnacle of success.
In this season's squad, according to coach Ho Huu Tien's preliminary assessment, it is not as strong as previous generations of players, especially in terms of physique, as the younger players are smaller than their predecessors. Furthermore, most of this year's players are new recruits, selected from local areas, with no players returning from training academies.
This also presents a challenge in training. However, in return, with a squad of players possessing good individual skills, and especially with a serious training spirit and high determination, this coastal town's team has strived relentlessly throughout the season.
Placed in a group with several strong teams such as Quỳnh Lưu, Thanh Chương, and Quỳ Hợp, the young Hoàng Mai players struggled to advance from the group stage.
In their opening match against Nam Dan Children's Team, Hoang Mai Children's Team proactively employed a fast-paced style of play to gain control of the game. However, with superior physical fitness and tactical thinking, the players from Ho Chi Minh City continuously created dangerous opportunities in front of the Hoang Mai Children's Team's goal... At the end of the first match in Group B, Hoang Mai Children's Team lost to Nam Dan Children's Team with a score of 1-2.
In the next round, Hoang Mai Children's Team will face Thanh Chuong Children's Team. This is a meeting between two teams in similar situations. In the first round, both teams lost to Nam Dan Children's Team. Specifically, Thanh Chuong Children's Team lost to Nam Dan Children's Team 1-3; Hoang Mai Town Children's Team lost to Nam Dan Children's Team 1-2.
Both the Thanh Chuong Children's team and the Hoang Mai Town Children's team had no room for error; they had to win to keep their hopes of advancing alive. Therefore, from the moment the match began, both teams surged forward, constantly threatening each other's goal, creating an exciting back-and-forth game. With explosive play, excellent tactics, and a confident, game-controlling performance, capitalizing on opportunities, they secured a dominant 3-1 victory over the Thanh Chuong Children's team.
Before the match against Quy Hop Children's team in the group stage, Hoang Mai Town Children's team had 3 points after 1 win and 1 loss, while their opponent had 6 points after 2 wins, temporarily leading Group B… Despite playing with a winning spirit and a very positive start, constantly attacking and threatening the opponent's goal, Hoang Mai Children's team lost 3-0 to Quy Hop team.
In their final group stage match against Quynh Luu Children's Team, Hoang Mai Children's Team had played 3 matches, earned 3 points, and had a goal difference of -2. Therefore, to have a chance of advancing, Hoang Mai Children's Team absolutely needed a minimum 2-0 victory against Quynh Luu Children's Team.
Playing with 100% determination and effort, the young players of Hoang Mai town launched fierce attacks. In addition, the outstanding performances of individuals like Le Thac Hoang Duy and Dau Duy Quoc Viet led to a dominant 3-0 victory for Hoang Mai, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, they faced Yen Thanh Children's team, considered a strong contender and a top candidate for this year's championship. Although initially hesitant and conceding the opening goal in the first half, their fighting spirit allowed them to take control of the game, surprisingly winning 3-1 and advancing to the semifinals.
In the semi-finals, Hoang Mai Town Children's Team faced Hung Nguyen Children's Team, two teams considered evenly matched. With outstanding effort, Hoang Mai Children's Team brilliantly defeated Hung Nguyen Children's Team and advanced to the final.
Having brilliantly overcome a series of opponents, the Hoang Mai Town Children's Team and the Quy Hop Children's Team have reached the final match to compete for the championship. This match is considered the second round of the group stage, as they had previously faced each other. On that occasion, the Quy Hop Children's Team defeated the Hoang Mai Town Children's Team with a score of 3-0.
However, entering the final match, the nature of the game changed, and the opponent had also made significant progress. Therefore, both teams played with determination, enthusiasm, and aggression. At the start of the match, the Hoang Mai Town Children's team employed an early offensive strategy. And they reaped the rewards in the 2nd minute of the match. After a beautiful attacking combination, the ball was threaded into the penalty area of the Quy Hop District Children's team.
Player number 2, Le Thac Hoang Duy - Captain of the Hoang Mai Town Children's team - made a skillful run and scored the opening goal of the match. With the lead, the Hoang Mai Town Children's team played fluidly, constantly launching attacks and putting pressure on their opponents. The young players from the coastal town even took a two-goal lead. However, they were later pegged back by their opponents, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
With the match ending in a draw, the two teams proceeded to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. In the tense penalty shootout, the Hoang Mai Town Children's team won 3-1 and became the champions of the 26th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament in 2024.
The path to this year's championship for Hoang Mai Children's team, besides meticulous preparation, a well-balanced squad in terms of physical fitness and technique, and the high level of unity and teamwork among the players, must also be attributed to the outstanding performance of several key players. These include: number 7 Dau Duy Quoc Viet, a solid defender who created beautiful passes that led to goals for his teammates; Captain Le Thac Hang Duy, an excellent playmaker who tirelessly contributed to both attack and defense; and goalkeeper Nguyen Duc Anh Quan, with his calm demeanor in every save and unwavering mental fortitude in tense moments to prevent goals from being scored.
