Australian coach declares victory over U17 Vietnam; Arsenal spends money to recruit Euro 2024 champion

Australian coach declares victory over U17 Vietnam

Ahead of the opening match of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship campaign, Australia U17 coach Maloney confidently said: “We really want to win, want to go deep in the tournament and win the championship. Australia U20 won the Asian Championship. That was the first time a youth team had achieved such an achievement, and it would be great if Australia U17 could do the same in this tournament. That proves that we are on the right track in our development process."

Evaluating the opponent in the opening match, the captain of U17 Australia said: "We respectVietnam U17I have seen them do very well in the regional competition and the Asian qualifiers. U17 Australia are looking forward to meeting them. There are no easy matches and we are in one of the toughest groups."

Meanwhile, Vietnam U17 head coach Cristiano Roland hopes that careful preparation will help the team compete for a place at the 2025 Qatar World Cup.

“Our preparation started in March with a training session in Hanoi and two friendly matches in Oman. Vietnam U17s are in a very difficult group. Australia are a strong opponent, and we need to maintain maximum concentration throughout the match to achieve our goal.

"This is just the beginning of a long journey. We have players with good potential but football requires a lot of effort and hard work. The road ahead is long and there is a lot of work to do with the young players," coach Cristiano Roland emphasized.

The match between U17 Vietnam and U17 Australia will kick off at 10pm on April 4 in Saudi Arabia.

U17 Vietnam finalizes list for Asian finals

On the afternoon of April 3, coach Cristiano Roland officially finalized the list of 23 U17 Vietnam players to participate in the final round of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship.

Accordingly, the three players who missed out on the U17 Asian tournament this year are Tran Hoang Khanh (PVF), Ha Huy Phuc (Hanoi) and Mai Viet Dung (Hong Linh Ha Tinh). This can be considered a difficult decision for coach Cristiano Roland, because according to his assessment, all the players in the Vietnam U17 team deserve to be given the opportunity.

In recent times, the players have shown the highest efforts to score points, especially in the two friendly matches with U17 Oman (both won 1-0). However, the regulations of the Charter only allow each team to register a maximum of 23 players in the official list, forcing the Brazilian coach to make the most optimal choice. However, coach Cristiano Roland affirmed that those who were eliminated still have many opportunities ahead.

Regarding the preparation of U17 Vietnam for the final round of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship, the team will have their final training session on the afternoon of April 3 (local time). Gia Bao and his teammates expressed their high confidence that they will win the opening match against Australia, at 10:00 p.m. on April 4 (Vietnam time).

“We always try our best to implement the right tactics and training plan, unite towards victory against U17 Australia. U17 Vietnam always wants to win all 3 points in every match,” midfielder Dau Hong Phong confidently said.

Applying VAR still blows "ghost" penalty, FIFA referee disciplined

FIFA referee Ngo Duy Lan and several of his colleagues were disciplined after their inaccurate penalty decisions in the quarter-finals of the National Cup.

Accordingly, the VFF Referee Board has just issued a disciplinary decision to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc - the main referee of the match between Binh Duong and Phu Dong Ninh Binh in the quarter-finals of the National Cup. Along with Mr. Phuc, Mr. Ngo Duy Lan - VAR referee and Pham Hoai Tam - VAR assistant were also subject to the same penalty.

During the end of the second half, Binh Duong goalkeeper Tran Minh Toan collided with an opposing player when jumping up to catch the ball. Referee Nguyen Van Phuc consulted VAR Ngo Duy Lan and reviewed the video, deciding to award Ninh Binh a penalty.

This is a situation where both players rush to the position to judge the ball's landing point. Binh Duong's goalkeeper has the advantage and can easily control it. When jumping, Tran Minh Toan performs the action of bending his legs to gain momentum and pulling his knees back before the collision. However, the referee still determines that Binh Duong's goalkeeper committed a foul in this phase.

The VFF Referee Board confirmed that Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc's decision to award a penalty was wrong, the reason stemming from Mr. Ngo Duy Lan informing the main referee Nguyen Van Phuc to review the situation.

In the end, Mr. Phuc made a serious wrong decision, affecting the result of the match. More importantly, Mr. Ngo Duy Lan is a FIFA-level referee in Vietnam.

Despite having to suffer an unfair penalty, Binh Duong Club still won after a penalty shootout against Phu Dong Ninh Binh Club.

Arsenal spends big to recruit Euro 2024 champion

New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has made a bold transfer plan, with Nico Williams his number one target.

Andrea Berta has just been appointed as Edu's successor. It didn't take long for him to start planning for the Gunners' 2025 summer transfer campaign.

Berta met secretly with Nico Williams' agent Felix Tainta earlier this week, The Guardian reported, in his first major move in his new role, where he is tasked with helping Arsenal become a title contender.

Nico Williams is a talented young winger who won Euro 2024 with the Spanish team. Nico Williams himself has made a significant contribution, playing as a left winger. His strengths are speed and skillful technical handling.

It is known that last summer, Arsenal approached the transfer but the 22-year-old talent himself wanted to stay in La Liga for at least one more season.

Nico Williams' contract with Bilbao includes a £48.4m release clause. The Guardian claims he and his agent are pushing for a transfer.

Barcelona, ​​Chelsea and Bayern Munich are ready to compete with the Gunners in the race to sign the Spanish striker./.