Ho Chi Minh City FC fails to recruit Lee Nguyen; Ronaldo equals Serie A record
(Baonghean.vn) - The V-League runner-up team offered to pay 1 million USD, but still could not convince Inter Miami to transfer Vietnamese-origin midfielder Lee Nguyen; Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his 11th consecutive match, when Juventus defeated host SPAL 2-1 in round 25 of Serie A on the evening of February 22.
Lee Nguyen will not return to Ho Chi Minh City Club
"HCMC FC tried to negotiate to bring Lee Nguyen back to Vietnam to play. We even agreed to pay 1 million USD, but could not convince Inter Miami to release him," a leader of the V-League runner-up team said on the morning of February 22.
According to this person, neither President David Beckham nor Coach Diego Alonso of Inter Miami want Lee Nguyen to leave. Beckham especially likes Lee, and wants this star to stay as the core of the team in the 2020 MLS season.
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Lee Nguyen at Inter Miami training ground on February 18, preparing for MLS 2020. Photo:IMFC. |
Although they cannot have Lee Nguyen in the 2020 season, Ho Chi Minh City still does not give up their ambition to own the Vietnamese star born in 1986. "If we have the opportunity in the middle of the season, or next season, or if Lee Nguyen wants to return to Vietnam to play, the club will try to negotiate. We want the team to have more new elements to improve the quality and meet the expectations of the fans," the club leader added.
Ronaldo equals Serie A record
In his 1,000th professional match, Ronaldo equalled the record for consecutive matches scoring in Serie A. With 11 goals since the draw with Sassuolo on December 1, 2019, Ronaldo has equalled the record of Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella. He will set a new record if he scores against Inter on March 1.
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| Ronaldo (No. 7) set a record in his 1,000th match. Photo: Reuters |
Ronaldo played 90 minutes against SPAL, although Juventus will visit Lyon in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 next week. In the 37th minute, Dybala's shot hit the post and bounced out. Two minutes later, Cuadrado drove down the right wing and crossed for Ronaldo to tap into the net. This was his 21st goal in Serie A this season.
In the 60th minute, Dybala handled the ball cleverly on the right wing and passed it to Ramsey. In a one-on-one situation, the Welsh midfielder chipped the ball past the goalkeeper, raising the score to 2-0. Ramsey ended a streak of 13 matches without scoring.Juventus were held back in the 69th minute. In the final minutes, Ronaldo almost scored his first goal for Juventus from a free kick. He hit the crossbar after Cuadrado won the penalty in the 85th minute. That was also the last dangerous move.
The win keeps Juventus at the top of the table, with 60 points. They are four points ahead of Lazio and six ahead of Inter, but both teams have a game in hand.
Haaland sets unprecedented scoring record in Bundesliga history
Erling Haaland's incredible form has not stopped yet as the Norwegian striker continues to score goals for Borussia Dortmund.
The goal that sealed the 2-0 win for Dortmund against Werder Bremen helped Haaland make Bundesliga history as the first player to score 9 goals in 6 appearances.
It was the Norwegian striker's 12th goal in eight games for Dortmund since joining the Signal Iduna Park side from RB Salzburg in the winter transfer window.
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| Haaland continues to break scoring records for Dortmund. Photo: Getty. |
Haaland took 529 minutes to score 12 goals for Dortmund. On average, the striker born in 2000 takes 44 minutes to score against his opponent.
Before Haaland sealed the score, Dan Zagadou opened the scoring for Dortmund with a close-range shot after a corner kick by Jadon Sancho.
Haaland's rise helps Dortmund maintain the pursuit of the leader Bayern Munich with a 4-point gap. In the next round, Dortmund will face SC Freiburg on February 29.
