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Juventus hold Inter to make Italian Cup final

February 10, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

Juventus hold Inter to make Italian Cup final (photo: youtube/Serie A)

Andrea Pirlo’s side will face one of Napoli or Atalanta, who are locked at 0-0 ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Bergamo, in May’s final in Rome after comfortably holding Inter in a disciplined display at the Allianz Stadium.

Inter barely troubled veteran Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon despite the return of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, while Cristiano Ronaldo was twice denied by fine Samir Handanovic saves at the other end.

Juve are unbeaten since losing 2-0 to Inter in Serie A last month as novice coach Pirlo drags his team into contention in league and cup after an uncertain start coaching the Italian champions.

They have conceded just once since that defeat, in the first leg win at the San Siro last week, and look in ominous form as they return to the title chase at the weekend.

Juve sit seven points behind leaders AC Milan with a game in hand and a trip to troubled Napoli awaiting them on Saturday.

“It’s a completely different feeling as a coach, we’re really happy but we haven’t done anything yet,” said Pirlo to state broadcaster Rai.

“We were really good today, they basically didn’t have a shot on goal. Handanovic was the best player on the pitch,” added the 41-year-old, who won four league titles as a Juve player.

Antonio Conte, who led Pirlo to three of those Serie A crowns, will now have to concentrate entirely on overhauling Milan if he wants to win Inter their first trophy since 2011.

Second-placed Inter are two points behind their city rivals ahead of their league clash with in-form Lazio on Sunday, while Milan travel to lowly Spezia.

– Inter held at bay –

Inter came into the match with a dismal recent record at Juventus, without a win since November 2012 when Conte was still managing the then-resurgent ‘Old Lady’ of Italian football.

That win, 3-1 thanks to a brace from 2010 treble hero Diego Milito, ended a 49-match winning streak for Juve but no such heroics were on display on Tuesday night.

The return of Lukaku and Hakimi, who both missed the first leg through suspension, did nothing to improve Inter’s fortunes in a blunt display from the away side, who had plenty of the ball but did very little with it.

A first half of few chances featured a Juve team much-changed from the XI which beat Roma 2-0 at the weekend but equally comfortable holding their opponents at bay.

Juve were content to sit on their first-leg lead, knowing that even a 1-0 defeat would have been enough for them to go through.

Ronaldo came close to scoring first in the 64th minute when Weston McKennie pounced on sloppy play from Inter to put the Portugal captain through on goal.

However Handanovic was quick off his line and pulled off a fine save to deny Ronaldo, who turned 36 last week.

Ronaldo was again denied by Handanovic five minutes later when he skipped past Milan Skriniar and Nicolo Barella and let rip with a powerful shot which the Slovene stopper did well to push away.

Inter continued to push but the wall put up in front of Buffon held and Pirlo will have a chance to win his first trophy as a coach in debut season on the bench.

AFP

Italian firm Eni collaborates with Quang Tri to transfer gas onshore

February 25, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Briefing the company at a meeting on February 24, Quang Tri Chairman Vo Van Hung said energy development is one of the province’s priorities for the next five years.

He added that the Prime Minister recently approved the inclusion of a natural gas power centre in Hai Lang District to the national power development plan.

Accordingly, a gas-fired power plant will be built in the two communes of Hai An and Hai Ba, covering a total area of 140 hectares, with a capacity of 1,500 megawatts in the first phase and 3,000 megawatts in the second phase.

During its exploration, Eni Vietnam drilled two wells and found a significant hydrocarbon accumulation in Ken Bau with a reserve estimated at 7-9 trillion cubic feet of raw gas and 400-500 million barrels of condensates.

Speaking at the meeting, Eni Vietnam Managing Director Luca Dragonetti expressed his pleasure at Quang Tri’s interest in cooperating with the company in gas power development and said that the company agrees to cooperate in transporting gas from Ken Bau to the shore.

Lewandowski steers Bayern into Club World Cup final

February 9, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Bayern will meet Tigres on Thursday in a bid to win their second title in the competition after Egyptians Al Ahly, the African Champions League winners, take on Palmeiras of Brazil in the third-place playoff.

* Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez continued his deadly run of form by scoring twice at home to Celta Vigo on Monday but could not prevent the La Liga leaders drawing 2-2 as their eight-game winning streak ended. The draw interrupted Atletico winning run since their loss to Real Madrid on Dec. 12.

* Leeds United’s Jack Harrison scored early before striker Patrick Bamford reached the 100 goals milestone to lift the Yorkshire side into the top half of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday. It was a first home win this year for Leeds, who have still lost more games than they have won at Elland Road this season, and nudged them up to 10th on 32 points from 22 games.

* Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will chase a record eighth title with Mercedes this season after signing a new deal, the team said in a statement on Monday that ended any uncertainty about his immediate future. Mercedes said the new agreement, which referred only to 2021, included a joint commitment for greater diversity and inclusion.

* Molde will play Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie in Spain due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Norway that prevent the German side from entering the country, UEFA said on Monday.

* Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo says his team must win at all costs when they face rivals Inter Milan in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday. The Italian champions go into the game with a slender advantage after beating Inter 2-1 in the first leg in Milan last week thanks to a double from Cristiano Ronaldo.

* Tony Collins, the first Black manager in the English Football League, has died at the age of 94, the League Managers Association said on Monday.

* Isaac Drogba, son of former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier, has signed a deal with Italian fourth division side Folgore Caratese, the club announced on Monday. The 20-year-old, who operates in attack like his father, has joined the Lombardy-based side after spells in the Chelsea youth setup and with the Under-19 and B teams of French side Guingamp.

* Canadian 11th seed Denis Shapovalov outlasted Italian Jannik Sinner 3-6 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4 in an enthralling battle of ‘Next Gen’ stars on Monday to move into the second round of the Australian Open.

* Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he still has a top team despite a difficult campaign and believes he retains the support of the club but could not give any guarantees he would remain in charge until next year.

* Sevilla could breathe a sigh of relief over the state of their player Lucas Ocampos on Monday after medical tests revealed the attacking midfielder had not suffered any bone or ligament damage to his ankle in Saturday’s 3-0 La Liga win over Getafe.

* Napoli defender Kostas Manolas will be out of action for at least three weeks with an ankle injury, the Serie A club said on Monday. The Greece centre-back was forced off in the second half of his side’s 2-1 league defeat by Genoa on Sunday and tests showed a sprain on his right ankle.

* Novak Djokovic got back to doing what he does best on Monday when he steamrollered Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-1 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in the opening round of the Australian Open. Having come through two weeks of quarantine in Adelaide, and a brief but damaging spat with his hosts over the terms of the isolation, the world number one let his tennis do the talking as he eased to a 297th Grand Slam victory.

* Chinese FA Cup winners Shandong Luneng have been kicked out of this year’s Asian Champions League after the Asian Football Confederation withdrew the club’s licence for the continental championship due to outstanding overdue payments.

* Simona Halep skipped briskly into the second round of the Australian Open with a businesslike 6-2 6-1 demolition of local wildcard Lizette Cabrera on Monday.

Juventus FC to inaugurate first football academy in Vietnam next week

August 1, 2018 by tuoitrenews.vn

Italian football giants Juventus are scheduled to open their academy in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau next week.

The Juventus Vietnam Football Academy will be officially inaugurated on August 9, offering professional football courses that meet international standards.

This is the very first football school of the Serie A giants in Southeast Asia.

The academy will start selecting talents in Ba Ria-Vung Tau on August 10, followed by Ho Chi Minh City on August 11 and 12, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 13, the central city of Da Nang on August 15, Hanoi on August 17, and the north-central province of Ha Tinh on August 19.

The targeted learners are football lovers between nine and 12 years old.

Gianluca Settanni, head coach of Juventus’s international projects, will join Vietnamese coaches and former footballers, namely Le Thuy Hai, Nguyen Huu Thang, Nguyen Hong Son, Dinh Hong Vinh, and Phan Van Tai Em, during the upcoming selection.

The Juventus academy now boasts more than 45 locations globally.

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Tet Holidays: Four reasons for a shopping staycation in Saigon

August 2, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Tet is coming. Where is the best accommodation for shopping trips on the year’s biggest sales season in Saigon?

An unprecedented year deserves an unprecedented shopping experience. Have you ever thought of a shopping staycation to contemplate over an authentic Saigon as local migrants are coming home for Tet? If so, where could be the ideal destination?

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, some hotels in Ho Chi Minh city have promotional prices for their room rates. Centrally located in the District 1, the Odys Boutique Hotel is offering a special price for its Superior room at only VND800,000 (US$34) per room per night with breakfast.

Saigon Tourist offers an accommodation voucher program for Tet at a preferential price of only VND899,000 (US$35) per room for two people including breakfast. The voucher can be redeemed to one-night-stay at three 5-star hotels of Majestic, Rex and Grand or two night-night-stays at 4-star hotels of Kim Do and De Nhat (The First) hotels.

Shopping

Talking about shopping is talking about District 1 – where all the popular shopping malls gather. From the most high-end brands to outlet goods and limited local boutique brands, just one stroll across District 1’s biggest shopping malls - Sai Gon Centre – Takashimaya, Saigon Garden on Nguyen Hue Walking Street, Vincom Dong Khoi, Diamond Plaza and Saigon Square – is enough to update your Tet wardrobe with all the latest fashion trends of the year.

Eats & treats

A shopping spree can quickly empty both your wallet and stomach. Since it was founded, District 1 has always been Saigon’s tourist magnet.

If the current restrictions bother your inner wanderlust, try a trip around the world’s cuisine around Saigon, from authentic Chinese restaurants, Japanese ramen restaurants along Le Thanh Ton street, to Korean BBQ restaurants Q, Italian Pizza and Pasta restaurant and all the affordable Vietnamese street food at the underground Asiana Food Town. The world is right at your front door.

A gastronomic heaven: Le Thanh Ton street- the little Japanese town in Saigon. Photo: The Smart Local.

Exploring

District 1 is not only a shopping and eating destination. Do you know that Ben Nghe area – the Ben Thanh market – is the heart of Saigon since the Indochina era?

This South-East Asia cultural and historical journey can be wrapped up within a convenient half-day walking tour starting from the centre of the district. Being the international trading port over the last 300 years, District 1 inherits many remnants of the cultural melting pot which mixed together Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer, Champa, Indian, and of course, French cultures through all the colonial architectures scattering across the city.

The Ben Thanh Market – a should-not-to-miss destination when travel to Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Saigon Expart Services.

Relaxing

Right at the heart of District 1 is a “resort oasis” where you can loosen down and step right into a state of tranquility. A living-art retrogressing experience back to a Vietnamese affluent life during Saigon’s Indochina past.

The hotels which are located in the heart of the district are the perfect choices of accommodations for a year-end shopping staycation.

Located at the heart of District 1, only 5-minute walk from the shopping malls and Bitexco Financial Tower, you can pass by the hotel to rest or leave your shopping bags amid the exhilarating Tet shopping spree.

The Bitexco cafe at the 52nd of Bitexco Financial Tower is also a good choice for your staycation holidays in Saigon. Photo: Bitexco Financial Tower.

Another 10-minute walk to the underground Asiana Food Town and Bui Vien Walking street, you can explore the world’s cooking and content your stomach.

Not a fan of long walks? Guests who stay at the hotels in District 1 might order dinners right at the hotels they stayed. One of the good choices would be an exclusive fusion menu that is prepared by 5-star Chef at Bup Restaurant & Sky Lounge.

Tet is a time to reconnect with Saigon. And the peaceful city during Tet is perfect for travellers and their families to plan a staycation during this season.

Thuy Duong (Hanoitimes)

Unique items for Tet 2021

A giant bouquet of florist’s daisies 12.1m in diameter in Sa Dec flower village and a gemstone-made painting worth nearly VND2 billion of a man in Thai Nguyen are among special items for this Lunar New Year (Tet).

Top three safe travel destinations during Tet holiday

Due to the complicated developments of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), short breaks can be considered a suitable choice of activity for the upcoming holiday, so here are some suggestions for local people who wish to travel during Tet.

V. League club lose another case in FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber

February 9, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

FIFA handed the win to Cisse after putting out a 10-page report of the arbitration, which said his claim is “admissible and partially accepted.” Accordingly, the club will have to pay Cisse $58,420 in compensation.

Thanh Hoa filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA’s decision. The cost for this case will be $2,000 plus 1.5 percent of the disputed money ($58,420), according to CAS regulations.

Cisse came to Thanh Hoa for trial and signed with the club in November 2019 with a monthly salary of $8,500, plus a contract fee of $85,000 per year, half of which would be paid at the start of the season and the rest following the 25th round of the season.

Although Cisse said he had successfully completed his medical exam on Nov. 5, 2019, Nguyen Van De, the club’s president at the time, decided to end the contract with the 31-year-old on Jan. 7, 2020, stating his thigh injury would not heal in time for the new season.

According to Cisse, De met him on Dec. 31, 2019 to convince him to sign a mutual termination agreement but the player refused to do so. Then a week later, De told him that he is not allowed to train with the team or access team facilities. He also claimed he only received $3,000 of his November salary, and that his December 2019 and January 2020 salaries were still outstanding.

The club said they had terminated Cisse’s contract after his medical examination in November. They also claimed Cisse had breached the contract by submitting a complaint to Vietnam Football Federation and accused him of only attending a few training sessions since November 2019. They also quoted part of the contract, which reads:

“In case for any reason the Player does not maintain the level of playing skillfulness and/or physical conditions to the satisfaction of the Club, the Club on the sole basis of the opinion of the Club’s Professional Council and Training Board has the right to unilaterally reduce the salary, the bonus and other compliments or terminate this Contract without having to compensate the Player for such early contract termination.”

However, FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber concluded “the validity of a contract may not be subject to successful medical examinations and that a club wishing to employ a player has to exercise due diligence and carry out all relevant medical examinations prior to entering into an employment contract.” Therefore, the chamber decided the contract had been “tacitly terminated by the parties’ actions.”

Of the $58,420 Thanh Hoa have to pay Cisse, $42,500 equates to 50 percent of the contract fee ($85,000) he was supposed to receive when the season began, $5,500 for November salary, $8,500 for December and $1,920 for January, calculated until the date of contract termination.

FIFA also stated Thanh Hoa would have to pay Cisse within 45 days or they shall be banned from signing any new players, domestically or internationally for a maximum of three transfer windows or until the due amount is paid.

Thanh Hoa FC are also involved in another arbitration with Italian coach Fabio Lopez after sacking him without contract compensation last year. Lopez said FIFA has ruled him as the winner of this case and the expected amount that Thanh Hoa would have to pay him and his assistant is around $200,000.