Football

 

HCM CITY — Becamex HCM City FC beat Kawasaki Frontale Todoroki 2-1 to lift the championship trophy of the Việt Nam-Japan U13 International Youth Football Tournament on December 21 in HCM City.

It was the hosts' second win over the Japanese visitors. In the group stage, they won 3-2.

Kawasaki Frontale Ikuta took the third position after beating Shimizu S-Pulse in an all-Japanese third-place play-off.

Becamex HCM City FC also won individual prizes with Nguyễn Văn Quân named best goalkeeper and Vũ Ngọc Duy top scorer with 13 goals.

The Most Valuable Player award went to Isora Aiba of Kawasaki Frontale Todoroki.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, an All-Star match featuring top Vietnamese players against outstanding Japanese counterparts was held, with the hosts securing a 1-0 victory.

 

The seventh annual tournament featured 12 teams from Japan, Singapore and Việt Nam competing from December 18-21 at the Bình Dương New City Stadium.

The young players delivered exciting, fair and emotional matches, clearly demonstrating the effort, ambition and potential of the future generation of football, according to organisers.

Beyond the competitive matches, the tournament also helped strengthen friendship and solidarity among countries through football.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Ono Masuo, Consul General of Japan in the city, expressed his pleasure at the tournament’s success, noting that it was not only a venue to showcase football skills but also a platform for young people to connect across borders, thereby making a meaningful contribution to promoting friendship and exchanges between Japan, Việt Nam, Singapore and ASEAN countries through football.

Representing the organising committee, Đặng Trần Chỉnh, general director of Becamex HCM City, said the tournament continued to demonstrate its expanding international scale and prestige, while creating opportunities for young players to gain experience and learn in a professional, fair and educational competitive environment.

He noted that many players from earlier editions have since matured and gone on to join national youth teams and professional football academies, underscoring the tournament’s long-term value and the sound direction of its development. VNS