After 34 qualifying matches with many thrilling and exciting developments, the Sigma Spring Open Cup 2024 spring football tournament has come to an end. The last two names were announced to participate in the final match: M2 and Safety. The worthy owner of the championship trophy was officially named on Sunday afternoon, May 26, 2024, at Bang B Stadium, Linh Dam, Hoang Mai, Hanoi.
Just the night before, the trees were still swaying in the wind, their leaves rustling, following the rainwater flowing onto the ground, carrying dusty dry leaves with it. The whole space was immersed in the sound of falling rain, like a soft instrumental song lulling the whole city to sleep. The next morning, the sky was clear again. The sun rose high, radiating bright rays, dissolving the remaining puddles from the night's rain. Bright sunlight shines everywhere, making everything seem to wake up after a long sleep. The air after the rain becomes fresh, carrying the scent of heaven and earth, creating favorable conditions for 8 Sigma teams to participate in the most anticipated final round of the season.
Opening the final round series is the 5th place match between E3 - M1 on field number 1 and the 7th prize match between M3 - M&S on field number 2. On field number 1, the absence of many pillars in the squad and having to play in hot weather caused E3 players to face many difficulties against M1. And on a day when the morale of the E3 players dropped, they were unable to stand firm against the attack of the M1 players and had to give up with a final score of 1-3, accepting 6th place at the tournament of SSC 2024.
M1 defeated E3 with a score of 3-1 to take 5th place in the rankings
The next field witnessed an evenly matched match between M3 - M&S as this was the third meeting between the two clubs, and the third consecutive time both teams ended the match with an inconclusive draw. Pulling each other into the penalty shootout, the M3 strikers were the ones who did better with a 4-1 victory, taking 7th place in the tournament.
M3 - M&S experienced a tense penalty shootout with a 4-1 victory belonging to M3
In the next series of matches, there is a bronze medal match between brothers E1 - E2. Bringing a comfortable mentality into the match, both E1 and E2 did not hesitate to raise their squad with an open attack. E1 are still the ones who are more proactive in imposing the match with consecutive shots on goal, but only stop at the level of opportunities with fifteen misses. On the other side of the front line, E2 players also launched very sharp counterattacks. On a day of missing too many opportunities from both sides, the match was decided by a single goal in the final minutes, bringing the SSC 2024 bronze medal to the E1 players.
The bronze medal of the SSC 2024 tournament belongs to the E1 team
Flag raising ceremony of the final match of the SSC 2024 football tournament
The final series of matches is the most anticipated match, the final between M2 - S. Both clubs desire this year's gold cup after they have not lifted the championship trophy for a long time. Given the important nature of a final, both teams entered the game cautiously, tested their opponents and did not launch familiar attacks. After the first minutes of play, the S players were more proactive with their attacking stance and very familiar side plays. But M2 showed what an excellent defense they have in this tournament when they calmly neutralized all the opponents' defenses. Along with the certainty of goalkeeper Trong Vinh, the situations in which the ball was brought to M2's goal only came from shots from very far away, but all could not get through the hands of this goalkeeper. After several minutes of imposing play but not achieving results with the certainty coming from the defense and the dangerous counter-attack situations of the M2 players, the S players also reduced their excitement significantly. The first half ended without any goals for either club. Entering the second half, it was still a very tight match between the two teams. In this half, the loss of physical strength from the players caused the two teams' offensive plays to decrease significantly. There were no longer many beautiful, coordinated attacks, but instead priority was given to stability. Shielding both sides' goals. Not many opportunities were created in this half. After a few missed situations, both teams accepted a 0-0 draw and went into a dramatic penalty shootout. In the decisive penalty shootout for the prestigious Golden Cup, M2's legs with 60 minutes of solid defense seemed to be tired, M2's first three series of shots could not defeat the hands of goalkeeper Tran Giang on the S side. The goalkeeper's excellence along with 3 successful penalty kicks from Safety's strikers brought Safety to the SSC 2024 title with an undefeated journey from the group stage to the final, a completely worthy achievement for red shirt boys. Although they lost after the fateful penalty shootout in the final, with M2's fighting spirit in this tournament they received complete praise from the clubs.
The Red Shirt team has officially stepped up to the throne of the 2024 SSC football tournament
The new owner of the 2024 SSC season has officially been named. The glory and warmth of spring once again touched the hearts of the Red Shirt Safety boys. The closing ceremony and individual awards also took place successfully with a lot of love and attention from the audience, closing a colorful and meaningful season.
The bronze medal of the tournament went to the E1 boys
Runner-up of SSC 2024 football tournament: M2 team
New champions of SSC 2024: Safety team