What did Cong Phuong say about Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong's absence from the Vietnam National Team? Thai newspaper believes Thailand will soon surpass Vietnam in the FIFA rankings

What did Cong Phuong say about Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong's absence from the Vietnam National Team?

In an interview on the afternoon of May 29, striker Cong Phuong received a question about the absence of midfielders Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong in this training session of the Vietnam National Team.

Coach Park Hang-seocaused a surprise when they did not call up midfielder duo Tuan Anh - Xuan Truong to the Vietnam National Team to participate in the friendly match with the Afghanistan National Team at Thong Nhat Stadium on June 1.

The question about the absence of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai duo was raised with Cong Phuong when this striker had an interview on the sidelines of the training session on the afternoon of May 29 of the Vietnam National Team. In response, Cong Phuong said that the absence of 2 teammates at the Club was not his problem when he joined the National Team.

Cong Phuong was interviewed on the sidelines of the Vietnam National Team's training session on May 29. Photo: VFF

"The decision of Xuan Truong and Tuan Anh not joining the Vietnam National Team is the Head Coach's decision. My teammates and I have played together for a long time so there is no problem" - Cong Phuong said.

The Nghe An striker shared that he is in good physical condition and ready to devote himself to the Vietnam National Team.Cong Phuongalso expressed hope to bring a good match to serve the audience.

“Although it is just a friendly match, we will try our best for the audience. Personally, I feel very happy when seeing the images of the audience lining up to buy tickets to the stadium. Whether in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the fans are cheering wholeheartedly for the Vietnam team. We appreciate that and will always play our best,” said Cong Phuong.

Modric extends contract with Real Madrid

After helping Real Madrid beat Liverpool with a minimal score in the 2021/22 Champions League final, midfielder Luka Modric agreed to extend his contract with the Spanish Royal team for another year.

According to Marca, Modric and Real have only reached a verbal agreement and have not officially signed a new contract. However, it is only a matter of time before the 36-year-old Croatian continues to contribute to Real Madrid next season.

The reason Real's board of directors decided to keep Modric instead of letting him leave this summer is because they still highly appreciate the former Tottenham midfielder's ability. Despite his age, the midfielder born in 1985 is still extremely energetic and effective.

Modric (left).

Not to mention, in the recent Champions League final, Modric played like a "possessed" player, helping his team overcome Liverpool despite the English representative creating an overwhelming game. With what he showed, Modric receiving a reward of a new contract is completely worthy.

Since moving from Tottenham to Real, Modric has spent a full decade playing football in Spain. With the white team, he has played 436 matches, scored 31 goals and won 19 major and minor titles. Notably, these include 5 Champions League titles (in the seasons 2013/14, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and most recently 2021/22).

Coach Mourinho wants to bring Ronaldo to Roma

Man United striker Cristiano Ronaldo is facing the opportunity to return to Italy to play football, because he has caught the eye of AS Roma Club.

According to Il Messagero, Coach Jose Mourinho is looking to upgrade Roma's attack. To realize this goal, he has asked the team's Board of Directors to bring Ronaldo to him. The 37-year-old Portuguese superstar is no stranger to Serie A football, as he previously played for Juventus for 3 years (from 2018 to 2021) before returning to England to join his old team MU.

Having worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, Coach Mourinho understands his compatriot's ability very well. Although he is no longer at his peak, Ronaldo still plays quite effectively. Therefore, the "Special One" believes that he can bring value to Roma if he moves to the Olimpico.

Coach Mourinho wants to bring Ronaldo to Roma.

Having just defeated Feyenoord with a minimum score to win the 2021/22 Europa League, Roma's appeal has increased significantly. Of course, this also helps Coach Mourinho's team have more opportunities to own Ronaldo, the player who cannot help MU have a 5th consecutive season without winning any title.

Despite the fact that MU has just disappointed by finishing only in 6th place in the Premier League (thereby not being able to participate in the Champions League next season), Ronaldo still left a good impression with 24 times scoring goals in all competitions. In the Premier League 2021/22 alone, CR7 has scored 18 times on the scoreboard. His achievement is only behind the 2 players sharing the title of top scorer, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Son Heung-Min of Tottenham (both scored 23 goals).

Thai newspaper reports that the Thai team will soon surpass Vietnam in the FIFA rankings.

Thairath newspaper of Thailand believes that if the Thai team maintains its current winning and unbeaten streak, catching up and surpassing the Vietnamese team on the FIFA rankings is only a matter of time.

Two days ago, the Thai team barely won 1-0 against the underdog Turkmenistan, thanks to the only goal scored by veteran Adisak Kraisorn. However, according to Thairath's calculations, Thailand will be added about 4,521 points, with the current score of 1,167.68 points increasing to 1,172.20 points on the FIFA rankings, and will increase at least 1 to 2 places compared to the current world ranking of 111.

Thai newspaper believes that Thailand will soon surpass Vietnam in FIFA rankings.

Thairath newspaper assessed that the Thai team is on a winning streak and has been unbeaten since the AFF Cup 2020 until now (9 wins, 2 draws). This newspaper therefore believes that Coach Polking's team can narrow, even catch up and surpass the Vietnamese team on the FIFA rankings. Currently, the Vietnamese team is ranked 96th in the world.

Thairath wrote: “The Vietnamese team should be careful. The Thai team can completely catch up and surpass regional rival Vietnam by the end of this year after the two teams once again compete for the championship in the AFF Cup”. According to the schedule, the Thai team will play a friendly match with Bahrain on May 31 before playing 3 matches in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup with Maldives, Sri Lanka and especially Uzbekistan. The upcoming matches are not only an opportunity for Thailand to win a ticket to the 2023 Asian Cup finals but also an opportunity for the Thai team to improve its ranking on the FIFA Rankings which will be announced at the end of June.

Meanwhile, the only match ofVietnam National TeamThis month, Vietnam will play a friendly match with Afghanistan on June 1. According to Football Ranking, Vietnam will be awarded 3.46 points if they win against Afghanistan. In case of a draw with Afghanistan, Vietnam will be deducted 1.54 points. If they lose, Vietnam will be deducted 6.54 points on the FIFA Rankings.