U23 Vietnam's weakest opponent makes 'shocking' statement; U23 Philippines star declares to win SEA Games gold

Coach Park Hang-seo: I want to win the SEA Games gold medal to say goodbye to U23 Vietnam

The Vietnam U23 team is preparing to enter the "Group A final" match against Indonesia on the evening of May 6.Coach Park Hang-seoshowed determination and set high goals with a force of 20 players.

"First of all, I want to share that this is a tournament in Vietnam and Vietnam is the defending champion. I know the fans have high expectations for us. The players are under a bit of pressure, but will try to complete the task of defending the gold medal and bringing joy to everyone," said Coach Park.

Coach Park Hang-seo and his students set the goal of winning the gold medal in men's football at the 31st SEA Games.

"From a personal perspective, this is my last tournament with U23 Vietnam. I will try my best to bring the best results to the team," he emphasized.

"Two years ago, U23 Vietnam entered the final with Indonesia and we won to win the gold medal. This year, they have changed, have a new coach and achieved many achievements, also have many expectations. I and the head coach of U23 Indonesia are both Korean. We have our own tasks, places to dedicate ourselves and we will strive for this goal," Mr. Park assessed the team of his compatriot Shin Tae-yong.

U23 Philippines star declares to win gold at SEA Games 31

Philippines U23 captain, veteran midfielder Stephan Schrock, declared that he will make history by winning the men's football gold medal at the 31st SEA Games.

At the 2019 SEA Games held at home, the U23 Philippines disappointed when they failed to get past the group stage, finishing behind U23 Myanmar and U23 Cambodia. Philippine football has recently made significant progress, with the selection of professional players with dual nationality (mostly born in Europe).

Coming to Vietnam to participate in the 31st SEA Games, Coach Norman Fegidero decided to bring veteran midfielder Stephan Schrock - one of the best players in Southeast Asia. U23 Philippines is in the same group A with the host.U23 Vietnam, U23 Indonesia, U23 Myanmar and U23 Timor-Leste.

Veteran midfielder Stephan Schrock.

Ahead of the opening match of the men's football SEA Games 31 against Timor-Leste, taking place on the afternoon of May 6 (4 p.m., Viet Tri Stadium), Schrock declared that the U23 Philippines will do something special.

"It's not long until our opening match of the 31st SEA Games. I'm very happy and excited," the 35-year-old midfielder said, declaring that he wants to make history with the U23 Philippines. "The whole team is currently going through a really exciting time. I have great faith in the talent of the young players in the team and I want to make history with this U23 generation. We want to create a miracle at this SEA Games. Currently, the entire staff has been very well prepared. Coach Norman has great professionalism and experience both as a player and a manager. I hope the whole team will achieve good results on the field."

After U23 Timor-Leste, Schrock and his teammates will face U23 Vietnam in the second match, taking place on May 8.

U23 Vietnam's weakest opponent at SEA Games 31 makes "shocking" statement

U23 East Timor is considered the lowest ranked team in Group A of the SEA Games men's football, but this team wants to reach the semi-finals.

May 6, men's soccerSEA Games 31will officially kick off at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho) with Group A matches. Group B will kick off after 1 day at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh). In Group A, East Timor is the team with the lowest rating when placed alongside Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar. However, Coach Fabio Silva believes that he and his students can absolutely create a surprise.

Coach Fabio Silva wants to cause a surprise in Group A of men's football at SEA Games 31. Photo: VFF

“I don’t think Indonesia and Vietnam are the strongest and will definitely advance. Football happens on the field, not in judgment. We can create surprises.” To prove his assessment, coach Fabio said: “In the last eight matches against Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea... we only lost to South Korea. We drew with Vietnam (2022 Southeast Asian U23 tournament). Of course, I know that in that match, Vietnam’s force was affected by Covid-19.” Having said that, the Brazilian coach still highly appreciated the home team: “I know Vietnam is very strong, football here is developed and you can put three strong teams.”

However, Mr. Fabio still believes that East Timor can go on: "We have made progress, and with our strength, we are capable of reaching the semi-finals. Vietnam and Indonesia are strong, but we believe we can win a ticket to the semi-finals."

Real Madrid set date to sign Mbappe

According to transfer news site Don Balon, Real Madrid officials are trying to find a personal agreement with Kylian Mbappe's family.

Real Madrid want to sign Mbappe on a free, after his contract with PSG expires on June 30.

Real Madrid's 2021-2022 season was very impressive. Carlo Ancelotti's team won the Spanish Super Cup and was crowned La Liga champion for the 35th time in history with 4 rounds early.

Mbappe.

Recently, there was one of the most spectacular comebacks in the Champions League, when Real Madrid won 3-1 against Man City in the second leg of the semi-finals, with the English team leading until the 89th minute.

Don Balon quoted a source from Bernabeu saying that, from recent successes, President Florentino Perez is even more determined to complete the "blockbuster" Mbappe to help the team become stronger.

President Perez's plan is for the trio of Mbappe - Benzema - Vinicius to lead Real Madrid's attack next season. Rodrygo and Marco Asensio are two solutions to rotate for the long-term battle.

What Real Madrid showed was even more convincing for Mbappe, who craved the Champions League but PSG still hasn't met it.

Mbappe will play PSG's final Ligue 1 match on May 21 against Metz, which is expected to be when he announces his choice to join the French champions.

If all goes well, Real Madrid and Mbappe are expected to confirm the contract agreement on May 31, three days after the Champions League final in Paris - the match between the La Liga champions and Liverpool.