Malaysian newspaper mocks U22 Vietnam striker for acting out, causing 2 home team players to be sent off; Messi signs 'super huge' contract

De Bruyne shines to help Man City escape defeat against Real Madrid

Early morning of May 10, De Bruyne scored to help Man City draw 1-1 at Real in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

Despite playing away against the reigning European champions, Man City did not hesitate to push their squad up to attack with the goal of scoring an early opening goal. However, the Premier League representative could not carry out their plan when the two main attackers Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish were blocked by the physical strength of Antonio Rudiger, the ability to stick with Dani Carvajal and the experience of David Alaba.

Starting lineup.

Man City could not get the ball down the line to make their usual crosses and passes and had to look for opportunities from long shots. In goal, Thibaut Courtois was still excellent when he repeatedly denied efforts from Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri. Haaland had a lackluster match with only 13 touches of the ball. Neither of the Norwegian striker's shots caused any trouble for the home team's goalkeeper.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Man City will have home advantage in the second leg on May 18.

Messi signs "super huge" contract, can compete with Ronaldo in Asia

According to AFP news agency, Lionel Messi has reached an agreement to move to Saudi Arabia's Saudi League, playing for Al Hilal Club with a "super huge" contract.

AFP's Twitter account today released shocking information, confirming that Messi has agreed to go to Saudi Arabia to play next season, for a Saudi League club with a huge contract value.

Immediately after that, it was the French daily L'Equipe's turn to claim that Messi had reached a verbal agreement with a club in this tournament.

Messi is about to wear Al Hilal's shirt and face Ronaldo in the Saudi League?

Although both reputable newspapers did not specify the name of the team that convinced Messi, according to many other sources such as journalist Fabrizio Romano, this is Al Hilal, the number 1 rival of Al Nassr, the team where Cristiano Ronaldo is playing.

Specifically, Al Hilal agreed to pay Messi a salary of 400 million euros/season, helping him surpass Ronaldo to become the highest paid player in the world.

Messi has had close ties with Saudi Arabia in recent times. In addition to signing a contract to promote tourism in this wealthy Asian country, El Pulga also feels comfortable with life there and has considered moving his family there.

Malaysian newspaper mocks U22 Vietnam striker for acting out, causing 2 home team players to be sent off

Hmetro newspaper (Malaysia) did not hesitate to criticize striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan ofU22 Vietnam, when he claimed that he was the cause of 2 U22 Malaysia players being disqualified.

On the evening of May 8, U22 Vietnam defeated U22 Malaysia with a score of 2-1 in the third match of Group B of the 2023 SEA Games, thereby entering the semi-finals 1 round early. In this match, U22 Malaysia received 2 consecutive red cards at the end of the match. Specifically, it was the case of Mohaammed Safwan (in the 79th minute) and Najmudin (in the 85th minute). Both of these cases committed fouls on the same name on the U22 Vietnam side. That was Nguyen Thanh Nhan.

Malaysian press confirmed that Thanh Nhan was the main reason why U22 Malaysia lost. Photo: Duc Cuong

Not only did he not look directly at the two fouls committed by his team's players, the Malaysian newspaper Hmetro also accused Thanh Nhan of acting. The newspaper was overly sarcastic: "Nguyen Thanh Nhan of U22 Vietnam is a bright name for the title... best actor in the match on the evening of May 8. He could even be the best actor in the 3 rounds. He acted so well that he successfully fooled the referee, causing U22 Malaysia to have to play with 2 players missing."

Regarding the two red cards of U22 Malaysia, coach Philippe Troussier of U22 Vietnam said: "I really don't want to make comments for the referee. On the side of U22 Malaysia, they also have a lot of pressure to compete, win the ball and find opportunities to score. Therefore, it is understandable that they commit fouls."

Women's team lost to Philippines, coach Mai Duc Chung revealed semi-final plan

Despite reaching the SEA Games semi-finals, coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed that the Vietnamese women's team has learned many lessons after losing to the Philippines.

"The Vietnamese team played very hard. The two goals conceded came from set pieces, one penalty and one free kick. The Vietnamese players were shorter than their opponents. The Vietnamese team lost because they were shorter than the Philippines. Yesterday afternoon, the whole team practiced defending against high balls. But as I said, the team's defenders were not tall enough and there were many mistakes," coach Mai Duc Chung shared after the match.

Coach Mai Duc Chung admits Vietnam women's team did not play well

Regarding the semi-finals, coach Mai Duc Chung said, "The Vietnamese team entered the semi-finals as group winners, this is good news. In football, you cannot win forever. After this defeat, the players will learn from their experiences, see their weaknesses to become stronger.

The refereeing issue is still something that teams are reacting to. But the game is over, I have no comment. Today, both Vietnam and the Philippines are reacting to the refereeing decisions.

There were obvious mistakes but the referee did not call a penalty. As for preparing for the semi-finals, I will watch the match between Cambodia and Thailand to study and come up with a reasonable strategy."