Hanoi coach accuses Nam Dinh of deliberately damaging the pitch; Wayne Rooney retires from football career

Hanoi coach accuses Nam Dinh of deliberately damaging the pitch

"Yesterday when we practiced, the field was very beautiful. But today when we played, the field was covered in water. I was not surprised by this because last season when we played here, we knew the home team would water it. This is normal. The opponent wanted to do that to disrupt our playing style," coach Chu Dinh Nghiem shared after the 0-3 loss at Thien Truong Stadium on January 15.

It wasn’t raining but the pitch was wet and slippery. As the match began, Hanoi’s players kept slipping and couldn’t show off their signature passing game. They let Gramoz and Rodrigo score consecutively in the 22nd and 25th minutes. The reigning V-League runners-up then rushed forward to attack and pressure the remaining time. But not only were they unable to score, they were also hit by a counter-attack, allowing Gramoz to seal the 3-0 scoreline in the first minute of extra time.

"The pitch does not meet the requirements, making it difficult to play as a team. Everyone could see right at the beginning of the match that many players slipped, fell, and lost the ball," added coach Chu Dinh Nghiem.

Thien Truong pitch was wet, slippery and bumpy, players from both teams fell and missed the ball many times. Photo: Lam Thoa

Despite complaining about the bad pitch, Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem did not use that as a reason for the defeat. He admittedHanoinot playing as well as the home team Nam Dinh. "We did not start the game as well as Nam Dinh, lacking in passion. The team then quickly lost two goals, the players lost motivation, could not maintain their spirit," coach Chu Dinh Nghiem explained. "The two foreign players Gieovane and Bruno have not really integrated into the team. Van Quyet's physical strength is not guaranteed, he almost lost in one-on-one situations. He recently went to receive the Golden Ball, so he moved around a lot."

Wayne Rooney retires from football career

According to Goal,Wayne Rooneywas appointed as the official coach of Derby County. With this development, Rooney ended his football career after nearly 20 years.

Rooney made his professional debut for Everton. He then played for Man United, returned to Everton (2018), DC United and retired at Derby County. The match between Derby County and Middlesbrough on November 26, 2020 was Rooney's last appearance.

Rooney has had an impressive start as interim coach of Derby County. Photo: Getty.

Vietnam team may play World Cup qualifiers in China

The Shanghai Football Association is actively preparing to host the remaining World Cup qualifiers, after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the schedule for the next matches.
"Shanghai has favorable air traffic conditions. After the completion of the new stadium, we have not held any major football tournaments. This is a very ideal choice. Moreover, Shanghai also has successful epidemic prevention experience," said Lin Yi, Secretary General of the Shanghai Football Association.

Pudong Football Stadium is ready to host World Cup qualifiers. Photo: Sina.

According to the schedule announced by AFC, the next two matches of the World Cup qualifiers will take place at the end of March. However, many countries believe that it will be difficult to organize the matches due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

If this plan is approved by the AFC, Shanghai will host the matches in June. This is considered an effort by Shanghai, with the hope that the Chinese team will play well and qualify for the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. Coach Li Tie and his team currently have 7 points after 4 matches, 8 points behind the top team Syria, but have played one match less.