Latest V.League 2024-2025 rankings round 23; Crystal Palace wins first major title in history

Latest V.League 2024-2025 rankings round 23

Round 23 of V.League 2024-2025 opened with Hai Phong's 2-1 victory over Thanh Hoa at Lach Tray Stadium on the evening of May 16. The port city team officially stayed in the league.

On May 17, 2 of the 3 bottom teams, Song Lam Nghe An and Da Nang, won important victories. The pressure is on Binh Dinh, the team that will face The Cong Viettel.

The match between Binh Duong and CAHN is postponed until May 29.

Coach Kim Sang Sik has a surprising move with Cong Phuong

Coach Kim Sang Sik is likely to call up striker Nguyen Cong Phuong to the Vietnam national team during the training session to prepare for the match against Malaysia.

On the evening of May 17, Binh Phuoc had a very important match against PVF-CAND, in round 19 of the 2024/25 First Division. Both teams are aiming to win to get a place in the play-off for the V-League next season.

Cong Phuong continues to be the center of attention as he is in good form and is expected to continue to shine to help Binh Phuoc win 3 points.

In the stands, coach Kim Sang Sik and his assistant also appeared. The Korean strategist observed Cong Phuong very carefully, making professional assessments before making the final decision on whether to call the 1995-born striker back to the Vietnam national team or not.

On the field, Cong Phuong played with great effort. However, the heavy rain greatly affected the technical play of the Binh Phuoc Club striker. In addition, the PVF-CAND defenders also closely marked number 70.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw. With this result, the play-off spot is still undecided as Binh Phuoc is 7 points ahead of PVF-CAND (having played 1 more match), while the First Division has 3 more rounds to go. Above, Ninh Binh Club officially won the championship, winning a ticket to V-League 2025/26.

Although he could not score, Cong Phuong's hard-working performance continued to earn points with coach Kim Sang Sik. In the previous rounds, the Nghe An striker continuously scored beautiful goals and created assists, showing that he is in good form and is determined to return to the Vietnam team.

The Vietnam team will gather on May 26 in Hanoi to prepare for the decisive match against Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Next week, coach Kim Sang Sik will announce the list, and it will not be a surprise if Cong Phuong is called up. If his name is included, this will be the first time the former HAGL striker has worked with the Korean coach.

Speaking after the match, Cong Phuong admitted that Binh Phuoc had a very difficult draw against PVF-CAND, but 1 point helped the team maintain its position in the play-off. Regarding the opportunity to return to the Vietnam national team, Cong Phuong affirmed that he is always ready to contribute when the national team needs him.

Crystal Palace win first major trophy in history

Early morning of May 18, Man City lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Crystal Palace created an earthquake at Wembley when they defeated Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final, thereby bringing home the first major trophy in the club's 119-year history. Before that, the Selhurst club had only won the First Division twice, the Second Division once and won a number of regional cups.

Not only did the FA Cup win bring endless joy to fans, it also helped Palace qualify for the UEFA Europa League next season. This is also the first time in history that the "Green Eagles" have participated in a continental cup tournament.

Meanwhile, Man City are facing a disastrous season. If they fail to win their remaining two Premier League games to return to the top 5, Pep Guardiola and his team are at risk of having to participate in the Europa League, or even the Conference League.

Right from the start of the match, Manchester City showed overwhelming strength. Kevin De Bruyne coordinated well with Erling Haaland to create a series of opportunities. However, the resilience and courage of the Palace defense, especially goalkeeper Dean Henderson, discouraged all efforts from the "The Citizens" attack.

The only goal of the match came from a sharp counter-attack in the 20th minute. Daniel Munoz broke through on the right wing and assisted Eberechi Eze to make an accurate finish from close range, defeating Ortega.

In the following minutes, Henderson continued to play the hero role when denying Omar Marmoush's penalty kick and blocking a series of golden chances for City, including Doku's finish and Claudio Echeverri's close-range shot.

In the final minutes, City launched an all-out attack but could not penetrate the net of a brave Palace. English football in the 2024/25 season witnessed two big surprises in the domestic cup finals, with Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup and Newcastle defeating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

Xabi Alonso makes history on Leverkusen farewell day

On the night of May 17, Leverkusen drew 2-2 with Mainz in round 34 of the Bundesliga, thereby establishing the longest unbeaten away streak in the club's history.

An emotional draw against Mainz helped Leverkusen end the 2024/25 season as runners-up in the Bundesliga, 13 points behind champions Bayern Munich.

According to Opta, Leverkusen have gone 34 consecutive away games unbeaten, an unprecedented feat in the history of the BayArena team. Since losing 0-3 to Bochum on May 27, 2023, Leverkusen have gone two consecutive seasons without losing away from home, a feat achieved by Xabi Alonso and his team.

In addition, Leverkusen have lost just three of their 68 Bundesliga games in the last two seasons. All three of their defeats have come this season.

Although unable to defend the title in the 2024/25 season, Leverkusen still won the sympathy of fans thanks to their dedicated playing style. The reward for Florian Wirtz and his teammates is a ticket to the League Phase, Champions League 2025/26.

After the 2024/25 season, Xabi Alonso will leave Leverkusen. The Spanish coach's destination will most likely be Real Madrid.

Under Alonso's leadership, Leverkusen has grown to become one of the most attractive and effective teams in Europe. Not only competing with Bayern in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen has also advanced deep into the continental arena.

Alonso's departure will leave a huge void at Leverkusen, not only tactically but also mentally. He built a young, disciplined, attacking team and turned the club into a real force in Germany.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is about to open, but tickets are still unsold

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is less than a month away, but concerns about empty stadiums are growing, forcing FIFA to slash ticket prices.

In an effort to fill the stands, FIFA has decided to reduce ticket prices once again to attract spectators to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Currently, the lowest ticket prices for big-name matches, such as Man City vs Al Ain in Atlanta, Inter vs Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle, PSG vs Botafogo in Pasadena or Chelsea vs Esperance de Tunis in Philadelphia, are just $30. Lesser-known matches, such as South Korea’s Ulsan HD vs South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, are as low as $28.

Under the old price list, second-class seats, located on the top floor of the stadium, cost between $60 and $140, while first-class seats in the group stage ranged from $100 to over $200. In addition, tickets for the final match cost up to $2,600, excluding taxes and fees. This sparked a wave of protests because the cost of entering the stadium was too expensive. Up to now, fans can spend only $538 to attend the final, and about $300 for a semi-final ticket.

At the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA is selling tickets using a dynamic pricing model. Ticket prices will increase when demand is high, and decrease when demand is low. The second price cut reflects the low attendance. Many matches still have a large number of empty seats.

For example, the Rose Bowl in California, which has a capacity of 90,000, was unable to fill, and in a recent announcement, FIFA said it was donating 30,000 tickets for matches to those who responded to the recent wildfires. Still, organizers remain optimistic, noting that the U.S. is a late-buying market, and they hope interest will grow throughout the tournament.