What did the AFC say about Vietnam U17 ahead of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals?; Man City gives Arsenal a chance.

What did the AFC say about the Vietnam U17 team ahead of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals?

The Vietnam U17 team enters the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals with the determination to advance beyond the group stage, thereby nurturing hopes of qualifying for the U17 World Cup.

Ahead of the tournament, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) gave a positive assessment of the Vietnam U17 team. The AFC stated: “The Vietnam U17 team showed great determination with an impressive performance in the qualifying round, where they won all 5 matches, scored 30 goals and conceded none to advance to the finals.”

The AFC also reiterated the remarkable achievements of Vietnamese youth football at the continental level. The Vietnam U17 team has participated in the AFC U17 Championship finals nine times, with their best performance being reaching the semi-finals in 2000.

Nevertheless, Group C is considered a balanced and highly competitive group. South Korea U17 remains a top contender, having won the tournament twice and reaching the semi-finals in the last three editions. Meanwhile, Yemen U17 and UAE U17 are also strong opponents capable of causing difficulties for any team.

According to the schedule, the Vietnam U17 team will kick off their campaign in the finals with a match against Yemen U17 at 0:00 on May 7th. They will then face South Korea U17 at 23:00 on May 10th, before concluding the group stage with a match against the UAE U17 team at 0:00 on May 14th.

Suspicions arise that the English team deliberately got relegated from the Premier League.

Burnley are suspected of exploiting the Premier League's financial mechanisms by repeatedly being promoted and relegated without showing any genuine ambition to compete.

According totalkSPORTBurnley faced a wave of fierce criticism after being officially relegated from the Premier League. The Lancashire club was accused of "not really wanting to avoid relegation," and even seen as exploiting loopholes in the league's financial system. Burnley were relegated after a 0-1 defeat to Man City on April 22nd, bringing to a close a forgettable season.

Manager Scott Parker left his post shortly afterwards, making way for interim manager Michael Jackson. However, the situation did not improve as the team continued to lose 1-3 in round 35, thus suffering their 23rd defeat of the season. It's worth noting that just a year earlier, Burnley had dominated the Championship with 100 points and a record 30 clean sheets. However, upon returning to the Premier League, they completely collapsed with only 4 wins in 35 matches, and a defense that constantly made mistakes.

TalkSPORTThe accusations suggest Burnley's problems lie in their strategy. The sale of their first-choice goalkeeper James Trafford just before the season was seen as a sign that the club lacked ambition to avoid relegation. Furthermore, controversial transfer decisions have only contributed to the team's instability.

Burnley has been criticized for exploiting the "promotion and relegation cycle," thereby benefiting from £45 million in parachute payments in their first year in the Premier League. The club is accused of not investing enough to compete in the Premier League, opting instead for relegation and rebuilding in order to return the following season.

Based on this fact, journalist Alex CrooktalkSPORTThey even proposed a controversial rule: if a team is relegated twice in three seasons, they should be banned from promotion for five years to prevent a repeat of this cycle of manipulation.

Man City gives Arsenal a chance.

In the early hours of May 5th, a dramatic draw at Everton left Man City trailing behind, while Arsenal moved closer to winning the Premier League title after a 22-year wait.

Man City incredibly dropped points, drawing 3-3 with Everton in a dramatic match in round 35, thus making things difficult for themselves in the Premier League title race, trailing Arsenal by 5 points and with a game in hand. Now, Pep Guardiola's team can only hope Arsenal stumble in one of their remaining three matches.

Everton may regret not holding on to the win until the very last minute, but their courageous performance created a crucial turning point in the two-horse race between Arsenal and Man City.

Alexis Sanchez brought Sevilla back from the brink of defeat.

In the early hours of May 5th, Alexis Sanchez's solitary goal secured a 1-0 victory for Sevilla against Real Sociedad, lifting them out of the relegation zone in a spectacular performance at the Nervion Stadium.

In La Liga's 34th round, Sevilla secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad in a crucial match in their relegation battle. Alexis Sanchez was the game-changer, scoring the only goal early in the second half.

The turning point came after halftime when Isaac Romero suffered an injury, giving Alexis Sanchez the opportunity to come on. In the 49th minute, Neal Maupay made a clever pass, allowing the Chilean striker to fire a neat shot to open the scoring.

Before this match, Sevilla had been relegated to 18th place and could not afford any mistakes. Sanchez's golden goal helped the former Europa League champions make a spectacular escape from relegation.

This narrow victory puts Sevilla one point ahead of Alaves and keeps their hopes of staying in La Liga alive.