Hanoi high school football sees thrilling final

The football tournament kicked off in October and brought together 100 teams from 100 high schools across Hanoi.

Teams were divided into 25 groups of four teams, and each one showed an impressive determination and fighting spirit.

The final hosted the two best teams from Hanoi’s Thach That district. Defending champions Phan Huy Chu High School were up against neighbours Phung Khac Khoan High School. The two finalists were the joint top scorers heading into the game, with 19 goals apiece.

True to the nature of a derby championship match, both teams competed with determination. After two evenly matched halves, the teams went into a penalty shoot out to determine the champions, with Phan Huy Chu High School team showing enough confidence to win 4-2, thereby successfully defending the championship for the 2023 season.

Third prize went to Thach Ban High School.

The organising committee also gave several other awards, such as the Style Award to Quoc Trinh High School; Top Scorer went to Do Truong Thinh from Xa La High School with nine goals; and Best Goalkeeper to Phan Lac Manh Cuong from Phung Khac Khoan High School, among others.

According to Nguyen Thanh Binh - editor-in-chief of An Ninh Thu Do, also head of the Organising Committee of the tournament, there were 180 matches featuring 100 teams with nearly 500 goals scored over the past month.

“Experiencing such strong emotions has become an indispensable part of student football life over the past 22 years,” said Binh.

According to the Organising Committee, the last 22 seasons have not only created a foundation for nurturing the professional football but also asserted strong relationships between co-organising units with a common vision for nurturing the capital's future generations and the desire to develop sport in Vietnam.

The event benefits from sponsorship of major beverage firm Tan Hiep Phat Group and its Number 1 Active brand for many years.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Vu Phuong Thanh, a representative of the Number 1 Active brand said, “Tan Hiep Phat Group chooses special organisations to sponsor for thier professional sports tournaments, and over this 22-year tournament, we have seen the development of the Hanoi High School Student-An Ninh Thu Do Football Tournament’s Number 1 Active Cup and all the effort that goes into the preparation and ensuring match safety.”

Vu Phuong Thanh, Number 1 Active, gives medals to the winners

The success of the tournament was marked by the excellent achievements in the competition and also in the improvement in professional quality of the tournament.