President encourages team spirit; Australian coach underestimates Vietnam team
(Baonghean.vn) - President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented flowers and sent words of encouragement to coach Park Hang Seo and his team; Mr. Graham Arnold said that coach Park Hang Seo and his team do not have the advantage of spectators, so the Australian team is confident in coming to Hanoi to win.
President encourages team spirit
From the airport, arriving at the Grand Hotel at nearly midnight (September 3), the whole team was surprised and moved to receive words of encouragement and a flower basket from President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Coach Park Hang Seo and the whole team sent their thanks to the President.
The President wished the whole team to continue to maintain maximum concentration in the upcoming matches, determined to compete for positive results, specifically the match against the Australian team at My Dinh National Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on September 7, 2021.
 |
| The President's flower basket for the team. Photo: Contributor |
Earlier, at 10:30 p.m., the Vietnam team arrived in Hanoi after an 8-hour flight from Saudi Arabia. The team had to stop at Van Don airport for more than an hour before continuing to fly to Noi Bai. After that, all members of the Vietnam team will move to the hotel and implement the closed bubble principle to prepare for the match against the Australian team.
Australian coach underestimates Vietnam team"I believe it will be a big advantage when Vietnam's home stadium has no spectators. We are recovering well after the match with China. The whole team is mentally and spiritually ready to get 3 points," Mr. Arnold shared on news.com.au.
He confidently said: "I affirm that we play better and better with each match. We are ready to rush out there and win every match. The match against Vietnam is no exception."
 |
| Coach Graham Arnold has a chance to make history in Australia if he defeats the Vietnamese team. Photo: AFC. |
Australia had a successful opening match when they easily defeated China 3-0 in Qatar. They chose a neutral venue because they could not host the match at home. The team had their 9th consecutive victory since the second qualifying round. After the match, Australia immediately traveled to Hanoi. Coach Arnold and his team were very confident and did not rate the Vietnamese team highly, the team had just lost 1-3 to Saudi Arabia in the match at the same time.
"We are here to make history and are ready to go down in history. This is just the beginning. I am very excited about this turning point and ready to make history," Mr. Arnold emphasized.
The match between Vietnam and Australia will take place at 7pm on September 7 at My Dinh Stadium. Spectators will not be allowed to enter the stadium due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. Reporters will only be allowed to cover the official training sessions of the two teams.
Ronaldo criticized for disrespecting Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo's failure to hold a press conference or say goodbye to fans before leaving the club has upset many former Juventus players.
"Ronaldo left Juventus without saying a word to the fans. He just flew straight to Portugal. There was no official farewell, no press conference," Alessio Tacchinardi told Italian newspaper Tuttosport on September 3.
"There are no longer players who dedicate themselves to wearing a badge on their chest, like Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Paolo Maldini or Javier Zanetti. It's not nice for Ronaldo to say he's joining a club he considers home," added Tacchinardi, a former midfielder who won six scudetti and one Champions League with Juventus between 1994 and 2007.
 |
| Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 matches, won two Serie A championships, one Italian Cup and two Italian Super Cups. Photo: Sky Sports |
On August 16, reporter Edu Aguirre - Ronaldo's friend - revealed on El Chiringuito that coach Carlo Ancelotti wanted to bring the Portuguese striker back to Real. But Ronaldo denied it with a long post on Instagram, in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner asked for respect for his former club, but did not mention his parent club, or talk about his future commitment to Juventus.
Ronaldo's behavior has angered Sergio Brio, another Juventus legend. Brio played for Juventus from 1974–1990, winning 12 titles, including six Serie A titles and three European Cups.
"I didn't expect Ronaldo to leave Juventus in that way, it wasn't nice at all. Juventus deserves more respect. I always speak well of the three teams I played for, Lecce, Juventus and Pistoiese, because those were the clubs that recruited me, fulfilled my wishes and believed in me," the 65-year-old former centre-back said.
After leaving Juventus, Ronaldo returned to Man Utd on a two-year contract, with an option to extend for another year. At Old Trafford, he receives a salary of 34 million USD per season and wears the familiar number 7 shirt.
On the evening of September 2, the 36-year-old striker was allowed to leave the Portuguese team to fly to Manchester. After completing 5 days of quarantine according to epidemic prevention regulations in Manchester, Ronaldo can practice with Man Utd from September 7, but still be in time to play the match against Newcastle in the fourth round of the Premier League on September 11.
