Cong Phuong was not outstanding in his debut in the First Division; Barca crushed Real in the El Clasico

Cong Phuong was less prominent in his debut in the First Division.

The match between Hoa Binh and Binh Phuoc in the first round of the National First Division - Sao Vang Beer Cup 2024/25 took place on the evening of October 26 and ended with a score of 0-0. The home team had a very successful first half, when they played more dominantly than the newly emerged "big guy" Binh Phuoc. Cong Phuong, the most notable star, almost "disappeared" on the field. The reason was that Hoa Binh's defensive players successfully separated this striker from satellites such as Van Nam or Dieu Quy. Cong Phuong's enthusiasm did not help him have a single shot towards the home team's goal.

Hoa Binh missed at least 2 good chances and they no longer dominated the game in the second half. At this time, Binh Phuoc played better thanks to the efforts of a few individuals. However, Cong Phuong continued to be blocked when Hoa Binh players actively played close, turning very quickly when the opponent had the ball at their feet. It can be said that Binh Phuoc's playing style is not special. Most clearly, their pieces played quite disjointedly in the situations of attacking. Although playing the highest in the attack, Cong Phuong almost did not receive support from his teammates.

The rare bright spot of Cong Phuong in this match was a few free kicks. In the 53rd minute, Huynh Tan Sinh had a dangerous header after such a situation but the Hoa Binh goalkeeper jumped up to push the ball away. In a few other situations, Cong Phuong also passed the ball quite accurately but his teammates could not handle it successfully. To be fair, Binh Phuoc was lucky not to concede a goal at Hoa Binh Stadium. As for Cong Phuong, it is hard to say that he failed on his debut day in the First Division. Because the appearance of Cong Phuong somehow attracted the audience to the stadium and filled the stands.

Tran Quyet Chien won the World Cup billiards championship for the fourth time.

On the evening of October 26, Tran Quyet Chien and Frederic Caudron entered the final match of the three-cushion carom billiards World Cup in Veghel (Netherlands).

To reach this pinnacle match, Tran Quyet Chien defeated Peter Ceulemans, Frederic Caudron's compatriot, in the semi-finals, while Caudron defeated Quyet Chien's compatriot, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, in the other semi-final.

The match was really exciting when Frederic Caudron quickly took a 6-0 lead and Tran Quyet Chien had to chase really hard, until the 11th round to catch up and temporarily surpass his experienced Belgian opponent 20-17.

Frederic Caudron caught up to 30-30 after the 19th round, but his continuous failure to score gave Quyet Chien the opportunity to take the lead again, leaving him 10 points behind after 25 rounds. From here, the game was completely in the Vietnamese player's hands, and Tran Quyet Chien won the final score of 50-38 after the 28th round.

This is the second time in 2024 that Tran Quyet Chien has won the three-cushion carom billiards World Cup after winning the Bogota (Colombia) World Cup in March.

Vietnam's number 1 billiard player has won four World Cup (individual) titles in his career, one world team championship title and many other titles in Asia and Southeast Asia.

Record prize money in the 2024 strong team table tennis tournament

The 2024 National Table Tennis Tournament for Strong Teams takes place from October 27 to November 3 in Dong Nai, continuing the tradition of being a playground for the best Vietnamese table tennis players.

With the efforts from the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation, the total prize value of the tournament is up to 185 million VND, the largest ever.

According to the draw results, in the men's team event, the teams Hanoi 1, Dong Nai 1 and Hai Duong Long Hai 2 are in group A. Group B includes Time City, T&T People's Police 1, Ho Chi Minh City Police. Group C includes Hai Duong Long Hai 1, Tien Giang, Ho Chi Minh City 2 and Lam Dong 1. Group D includes Army 1, Da Nang 1, T&T People's Police 2, Lam Dong 3.

In the women's team event, Group A includes Ho Chi Minh City 1, T&T People's Police 2, Hanoi 1. Group B includes T&T People's Police 1, Tien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City Police 1. Group C includes Army 1, Hai Duong Long Hai 1 and Dong Nai 1. Group D includes Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City 2 and Dong Nai 2.

Barca crushes Real in El Clasico

The El Clasico match between Real and Barca ended in a surprising way when the away team won 4-0. This result helped Barca to stay firmly in the top position with 6 points more than their opponents.

Entering the El Clasico match, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded a 4-4-2 formation with a combative midfield consisting of Bellingham, Valverde, Tchouameni and Camavinga. Meanwhile, Barca coach Hansi Flick kept the same lineup as in the big win over Bayern in the middle of the week.

The match started at a high tempo from the first minutes with consecutive chances being created. In the 30th minute, Mbappé put the ball into Barca's net but it was disallowed due to an offside. The first half ended without any goals being scored.

Real Madrid started the second half a little sluggishly and immediately paid the price. In the 54th minute, Casado made a classy pass that allowed Lewandowski to score past Lunin to open the scoring. Just two minutes later, the Polish striker completed his double with a perfect header from Balde's cross.

Conceding two quick goals, Real Madrid pressed forward with great force. However, while they could not find a way to score against Barca, they conceded another goal. Lamine Yamal had an unstoppable shot after Raphinha's assist in the 77th minute.

The Brazilian midfielder completed an excellent day for Barca's attack when he got on the scoresheet himself in the 84th minute. He executed a classy lob that gave Lunin no chance to block.

Despite their best efforts, Real Madrid could not find a consolation goal as their strikers were unlucky. In the end, Los Blancos lost 0-4 to Barca at home and were left 6 points behind.

Haaland scores, Man City takes top spot in Premier League

On the evening of October 26 (Hanoi time), Man City beat Southampton 1-0 at home in round 9 of the Premier League.

In the 5th minute, Mattheus Nunes broke through on the left wing and passed the ball inside to Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker was closely marked by a center-back but was still able to stretch and finish into the top of Aaron Ramsdale's net.

Haaland scored his 11th goal in the Premier League this season, ending a 2-match scoreless streak in the domestic league. 2 years ago, Man City sold Gabriel Jesus to recruit Haaland. Now, Haaland has surpassed Jesus' scoring record in the Premier League (74 compared to 73 goals). Notably, Haaland played 143 fewer matches than his Brazilian senior.

The first half ended with Southampton having a clear chance to score. Archer raced down to face Ederson. His shot beat the home goalkeeper but hit the crossbar. This was also the only chance the visitors had in 45 minutes.

In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Man City attacked relentlessly. Erling Haaland had three consecutive close-range shooting opportunities, including one from less than 3 meters away. However, the 21-year-old star sent the ball wide.

Man City were deadlocked and had to wait until the 90+5 minute to have another chance. Haaland broke through the Southampton defender but still could not beat Aaron Ramsdale in the one-on-one. The match ended with a minimal victory for the defending champion.

Man City temporarily rose to the top of the table with 23 points, at the same time extending the longest unbeaten record in Premier League history to 32 matches. At home at the Etihad, they are also unbeaten in 13 matches against Southampton (11 wins, 2 draws).