The final match of the 13th Binh Duong Television International Football Tournament-Number One BTV Cup 2012 took place fiercely at Go Dau stadium on the evening of Nov.25, with the witness of more than 22,000 football fans.

Binh Duong Becamex defeated the national U22 football squad 2-0 in the final of the 13th Binh Duong Television International Football Tournament-Number One BTV Cup 2012 yesterday at Go Dau stadium.

The national U22 football squad actually had a good performance in 15 first minutes of the match. But then, South African striker Philani opened the scoring for the hosts with a stunning header 17 minutes into the first half. Samson Kpennosen later added a second, with his strike from close range putting the game beyond doubt.

The final was a rematch after the two teams met in the group stage, where Binh Duong comfortably won 4-1. Yesterday’s encounter was a much closer affair, with the U22 players looking dangerous in the first half and refusing to be intimidated by star names from the opposition, including Philani and Huynh Kesley Alves. They looked confident on the back of impressive victories over Thai Premier League club Chonburi and Sai Gon Xuan Thanh, who they beat 6-1 in the semi-final.

In the final, they followed the same counter-attacking strategy that served them so well before, but struggled to create clear-cut chances. Binh Duong took advantage by opening the scoring with captain Philani’s impressive looped header over the goalkeeper.

This seemed to spur on the U22s, and Hoang Van Phuc’s players continued to search for an equaliser. They came agonisingly close eight minutes later when a long-range free kick forced the Binh Duong keeper into making a superb save to his left, tipping the ball over the bar. In the second half they had more chances to find a way back into the tie, but they were let down by a lack of sharpness from their forwards.

The pressure from their more experienced opponents took its toll, and Samson Kpennosen poked the ball home from a rebound. Despite this, the U22s continued to battle but to no avail. Finally, Becamex Binh Duong beat the national U22 national football squad 2-0 to lift the BTV Number One Cup 2012.

Earlier, Brazil’s Gremio Baraeri defeated Sai Gon Xuan Thanh to finish third at the annual tournament with a bonus of US$5,000. Second-placed national U22 football squad, who also received the most stylish performance award, earned US$10,000 while Becamex Binh Duong come first with US$20,000 in bonus.

Philani was voted the best player of the tournament, while the golden boot went to U22 player Le Van Thang who scored six goals in the tournament, including one hat trick in the semi-final.

Reported by Chi Thanh-Translated by K.T