Japanese player contracts Covid-19 before match against Vietnam; Van Lam returns to World Cup qualifiers

Japanese coach: Vietnam national team is not easy to lose but we must win

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu aims to defeat Vietnam in the final match of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. The Blue Samurai will play at home. On the afternoon of March 29, Japan will host Vietnam at home in the final match of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.Japan teamhave already secured a direct ticket to the World Cup regardless of the result of the match against Vietnam. However, coach Hajime Moriyasu set the goal of winning to thank the fans in the press conference before the match.

"Tomorrow's match is the last match in the World Cup qualifiers. We are facing Vietnam, the goal is to win the match to show our gratitude to the fans. The goal of the Japanese team is to win each match. Regarding the squad, I want to continue using the players who played in the recent 2-0 win over Australia," said coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Besides, the Japanese strategist also highly appreciated the Vietnamese team under the leadership ofCoach Park Hang-seoIn the first leg at My Dinh Stadium, Japan defeated Vietnam with a minimal score.

"The Vietnamese team is a hard-working collective. They defend well and have good technique. Coach Park Hang-seo has turned Vietnam into a quality team. They play well on the counter-attack and will not lose easily. Like the match with Australia, no matter the result, I want to play at a high standard. The players must play their best. We are confident that we have great players," he said.

According to the stadium organizers, 60,000 tickets for the match between Japan and Vietnam have been sold out. Of these, about 3,000 tickets are for Vietnamese fans.

In the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia, Japan is leading with 21 points and is sure to win a direct ticket to the World Cup regardless of the result in the final match against Vietnam. This is the 7th consecutive time that the Samurai Blue have qualified for a World Cup. Therefore, the home match against Vietnam is an opportunity for Japanese fans to celebrate this achievement.

Van Lam returns to World Cup qualifiers after 6 months

Coach Park Hang-seo had no choice but to register 20 players for the match against Japan on the afternoon of March 29. Notably, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam returned.

Japanese press reported that the Vietnamese team has finalized the list of players. There are no further losses for the visiting team. The articles mainly focused on the return of goalkeeper Cerezo Osaka.Dang Van Lam.

Van Lam returned to the national team after more than 6 months of shoulder injury treatment. He dislocated his shoulder on September 13, 2021 while training with his club in Japan. As a result, the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper had to undergo surgery and recuperate for 4 months.

Goalkeeper Van Lam has joined the team and practiced with Nguyen Manh and Tan Truong. Photo courtesy of Hai Hoang

Van Lam's most recent match was against Australia at My Dinh Stadium in September 2021. He started and lost only one tackle in the match. Vietnam lost 0-1 in that match.

The return of the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper is also the reason why Mr. Park decided to remove rookie goalkeeper Vu Tuyen Quang. Van Lam joined the Vietnamese team in Japan, being the 20th player before this match.

Each team is allowed to register a maximum of 23 players, but the Vietnamese team only has 20. Therefore, Mr. Park did not have to eliminate anyone before the technical meeting like in previous matches. All 20 players tested negative for Covid-19.

Goalkeeper Van Lam will wear number 12, number 1 belongs to Bui Tan Truong, and Tran Nguyen Manh will wear number 23. Newcomer Dao Van Nam will wear number 4 of Bui Tien Dung, and Vietnamese-American center back Adriano Schmidt will wear number 21.

A Japanese player contracted Covid-19 before the match against Vietnam

An unidentified player of the Japanese team contracted Covid-19 before the match against Vietnam on the afternoon of March 29.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced that a player of coach Hajime Moriyasu tested positive for Covid-19 on March 28. This player is still in stable health and has been registered to play in the match against Vietnam on the afternoon of March 29.

"The infected player has received medical treatment. We are implementing safety guidelines to prevent and control Covid-19. No player has been in close contact and the remaining players have tested negative," the JFA announced.

The Japanese team has 22 players compared to 20 of Vietnam. Photo: JFA

The JFA's top priority is to prevent the spread of infection within the team and ensure the safety of the match and the members participating in the match. The JFA will continue to implement measures as planned by the Japanese health authorities.

Japanese media raised questions about the impact on the match against Vietnam on March 29. JFA affirmed that the match at 5:35 p.m. (Vietnam time) will still take place as planned, with no changes except for the player being sick.

Revealing the truth about MU recruiting Harry Kane in the summer of 2021

Former MU CEO - Ed Woodward wanted to sign Harry Kane last summer but financial problems after the Jadon Sancho deal prevented the transfer.

Last year, Solskjaer asked the big boss at Old Trafford to spend 73 million pounds to close Jadon Sancho after a long pursuit.

According to The Athletic, the contract with Sancho is the main reason why MU was forced to withdraw from the race to sign Harry Kane.

Ed Woodward has approached Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and expressed his desire to have Harry Kane's services.

However, MU needs to wait until the summer of 2022 to activate the English blockbuster due to financial branching and problems with the source of transfer money spent each year.

MU really wanted to bring Harry Kane back last summer.

Harry Kane was once Man City's number 1 target and he himself rebelled and wanted to leave, but Tottenham maintained a tough stance.

Despite that, MU has not given up on recruiting England's current number 1 striker.

MU's attack line has been ineffective this season due to a series of names losing form. Therefore, if they add Harry Kane, they will be more confident in scoring goals.