Futsal at the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Festival: When joy outweighs defeat.

In the futsal competition of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Sports Festival 2026, a fierce controversy erupted on amateur football forums when Chanh Hung Thai Son Nam team (representing Chanh Hung ward) convincingly defeated Phu Lam Vietnam-Germany University 22-0 in their opening match on April 23rd.

Vietnamese-German University players ask for autographs from Thai Son Nam's star players after their crushing 22-goal defeat - Photo: NK

Many argue that the team should give young players a chance to play instead of relying solely on national team players, in order to encourage the love and passion for futsal among student or amateur teams. However, many also believe that playing with all your might is a way of showing respect to your opponents.

The online community continued to mock Chánh Hưng Thái Sơn Nam after their 17-1 victory over Phú Định Gia Định to advance to the quarterfinals. "With that kind of play, how can the sport develop?" But those who leveled the criticism were not the ones who witnessed the beautiful moments after the match.

Despite losing 22-0, the Vietnamese-German University student players (representing Phu Lam ward) patiently waited outside the Chanh Hung Thai Son Nam team's locker room. They waited to get autographs from the stars of the Vietnamese futsal team as they emerged, and also asked to take photos with them as souvenirs. Joy was clearly visible on the faces of the student players.

"There's nothing to be sad about losing heavily to the Vietnamese futsal team. What's important is that we had the opportunity to play against the stars of Vietnamese futsal, something I never dared to dream of when I started loving futsal in the 6th grade. That's something to be very happy about," goalkeeper Tran Trong Tin (Vietnamese-German University) shared, despite having to pick the ball out of the net repeatedly.

Similarly, the team of many 17-year-old players from Phu Dinh Gia Dinh, instead of being sad, smiled brightly after the match. They chatted and asked for photos with their idols. The match was both an opportunity for the young Gia Dinh players to prepare for the 9th Motive Fi Futsal Champion U17 Amateur Tournament in 2026, and a chance to learn professional futsal.

Coach Phan Tri Tai said: "They've only seen the current Thai Son Nam futsal players on TV. So when they get to compete and learn from their seniors in the Vietnamese futsal team, they're all very excited."

Respecting their opponents, the Chánh Hưng Thái Sơn Nam team played their hearts out. Coach Nguyễn Tuấn Anh stated that he had instructed the players to approach the match with seriousness and responsibility. That responsibility encompasses honor, the image of the club, and the personal image of each player.

It's not just futsal; many other sports have also faced criticism. If national team players compete in the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Festival, how can amateur athletes have a chance to develop? However, for many amateur athletes, the opportunity to compete against star athletes is rare and brings them great inspiration.

That was also the feeling of Nguyen Van Minh Khoi when the 17-year-old player from Phu Dinh Gia Dinh team scored against Ho Van Y, the goalkeeper of Chanh Hung Thai Son Nam team, who was part of the Vietnamese futsal national team. "I was so happy I couldn't sleep after scoring against a goalkeeper who was once voted among the top 10 best goalkeepers in the world in 2018 and 2021 by Futsal Planet magazine," Minh Khoi said.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/futsal-dai-hoi-tdtt-tp-hcm-khi-niem-vui-lon-hon-that-bai-2026042609195649.htm