Coach Park Hang-seo sends message to Van Toan; Saigon FC cannot transfer to Lam Dong; Real loses to Barca again

Real Madrid falls to Barca due to own goal

Early morning of March 3 (Hanoi time), Real lost 0-1 to Barca at Bernabeu in the first leg of the Copa del Rey 2022/23 semi-finals.

With home advantage, Real Madrid did not hide their intention to play offensively. "Los Blancos" dominated the midfield and put great pressure on Barca's defense with the speed of their wingers.

In the 11th minute, the home team broke down the "Blaugrana" defense system with a good combination between the duo Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema. The French striker controlled and finished with class from close range, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

Barca players celebrate after VAR recognized the goal.

On the other hand, Barca played subduedly in the absence of their main striker Robert Lewandowski. However, the visitors only needed a moment of distraction from Real to launch a counter-attack. In the 26th minute, after Edouardo Camavinga lost the ball, Ferran Torres passed the ball to Franck Kessie to enter the penalty area. The former Milan star's shot failed to beat Thibaut Courtois. The ball bounced off Eder Militao's foot and bounced back into the net.

In the second half, Barca continued to play with a low formation. To serve the counter-attacking style, Coach Xavi sent Ansu Fati onto the field to push Torres to the right wing.

The Spanish coach's adjustment almost helped Barca score a second goal. In the 72nd minute, Kessie received the ball from Torres and shot in the penalty area. Real's defense was helpless, but Fati blocked the ball right on the goal line, thereby saving the home team from conceding a goal.

The first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final ended with a win for Barca. The two teams will meet again at Camp Nou on April 5.

VFF President continues to be head of AFC competition committee

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan will continue to hold the position of Head of the AFC Competition Committee for the 2023-2027 term and Head of the AFF Competition Committee for the 2022-2026 term. This is also the second consecutive time that Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan has been trusted by the AFC to run the most important agency of Asian football.

VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan continues to be trusted in his role as head of the competition committee at the continental and regional levels. Photo: VFF.

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan has been a member of the AFC Standing Committee since 2011 and is the official representative of Southeast Asia to the AFC Standing Committee for the 2023-2027 term. The current President of VFF is a member of the AFF Council and regularly plays an important role in the organization's professional and strategic committees.

According to VFF, being trusted in key positions of AFC and AFF not only demonstrates the prestige and capacity of Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan personally but also recognizes the prestige and contribution of Vietnamese football to continental and regional football.

Saigon Club cannot be transferred to Lam Dong

According to Zing News, Saigon Club is having trouble transferring to the new management unit. The problem lies with the old leadership of Saigon Club while the leadership of Lam Dong province is completely ready to receive.

Accordingly, Saigon Club has just reported to VPF (the tournament organizer) about the problem arising during the transfer process. Things are not going as planned. "The team has just reported and we are waiting for specific documents from Saigon Club," said a VPF official.

Many new players have come to Lam Dong Club but cannot sign contracts because the team is in transition. Photo: Lam Dong Football Fans Association.

Many players have accepted to join the highland team recently but have not been able to sign contracts because Lam Dong Club has not been transferred to become a professional club. The specific reason will be mentioned by Saigon Club in a document sent to the tournament organizers. The problem arising during the transfer process is related to legal issues, beyond professional factors. To transfer, the team needs the consensus of 25 shareholders of Saigon Club.

As of March 2, all procedures have yet to be completed while the National First Division is only one month away from starting.

Furthermore, Saigon Club could not change its name to Lam Dong Club because it did not meet the tournament regulations of completing procedures 60 days before the opening date. The team that was just relegated also did not have any players left to meet the requirement of having a minimum of 11 athletes for the transfer to Lam Dong Club.

Besides, the local people also do not fully support the fact that a football team named Saigon plays in Da Lat. A part of the fans are willing to accept because the composition of Saigon Club after the transfer is the establishment of Lam Dong Club.

If the transfer procedure cannot be completed, Saigon Club will give up its place in the First Division and National Cup, Lam Dong Club will continue to register to compete in the Second Division (non-professional) in the 2023 season.

AFC highly appreciates U20 Vietnam's first victory

The official AFC website gives the final results of the match between U20 Australia andU20 Vietnam, hailing it as an “impressive victory.”

Assessing the match, AFC commented: "U20 Australia had a good start before Vietnam turned the tables in the 6th minute, thanks to a goal by Nguyen Quoc Viet, disappointing head coach Trevor Morgan."

The report on the AFC homepage also emphasized that U20 Australia faced the prospect of conceding two more goals in the second half, if Thanh Nhan or Vi Hao's shots had been a little more accurate.

Quoc Viet's goal against goalkeeper Jack Warshawsky helped this player impress the AFC and was rated as "a striker worthy of winning any match".

Quoc Viet celebrates opening the score in the 6th minute against U20 Australia. Photo: AFC

Previously, AFC also praised midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien of U20 Vietnam, evaluating him as one of the players worth watching and will shine at this U20 Asian Finals.

“Dinh Xuan Tien will be one of the talented Vietnamese players who will surely shine at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship in Uzbekistan. The midfielder is playing for Song Lam Nghe An in the V-League and has scored three goals in the 2023 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers in Uzbekistan, including a brace against Hong Kong U20 (China),” the AFC website wrote.

Coach Park Hang-seo sends message to Van Toan and 2 Hoang Anh Gia Lai players

Coach Park Hang-seosaid goodbye to Vietnamese football after more than 5 years of attachment. Currently, the Korean strategist has returned to his country, but he is still very interested in Vietnamese players, especially those who are playing football in Korea.

This season, Van Toan - a former student of Coach Park Hang Seo in the Vietnam National Team plays in K-League 2. This striker played 80 minutes in Seoul E-Land Club's 2-3 loss to Cheongju FC.

Van Toan played 80 minutes in the opening match of K-League 2.

In addition to Van Toan, Hoang Anh Gia Lai also has 2 players playing in K-League 2 on loan, Canh Anh and Minh Hieu. Therefore, Coach Park Hang-seo came to meet and encourage these players.

On his official personal Facebook page, Coach Park Hang-seo posted a photo of him meeting Van Toan with Canh Anh and Minh Hieu with the message: “The K-League 2 season has begun. I took some time to meet players like Canh Anh, Minh Hieu and Van Toan. All beginnings are hard. Keep your heads up, boys.”

Coach Park Hang-seo’s message received many likes and comments. Among them, Mr. Nguyen Tan Anh - CEO of Hoang Anh Gia Lai sent his thanks to the Korean strategist: “Thank you for always caring for and encouraging Vietnamese players playing in Korea”./.