Malaysia loses at least 3 key players before AFF Cup final; Premier League series results

Malaysia loses a series of key players before the AFF Cup final

Malaysia created a spectacular upset at Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium when they held their opponents to a 2-2 draw, thereby winning a ticket to the 2018 AFF Cup final thanks to the away goals rule.

However, they also paid a heavy price with injuries to many key players. First was the case of top central defender Aidil Zafuan.

After an attempted tackle in the first half, the player wearing the number 7 jersey on the Malaysian side suffered a hamstring injury. Malaysia's number 1 striker Idlan Talaha, after scoring against Thailand to equalize 2-2, also showed signs of muscle strain and was substituted in the 80th minute. Not to mention, the number 1 choice on the left flank, Syazwan, was unable to participate in the second leg of the semi-final due to a ligament injury.

Malaysia also lost another important factor in defense, right-back Syahmi Safari - who scored the equalizer 1-1 with a beautiful cannon shot.

Syahmi received a second yellow card and was sent off for handling the ball in the penalty area in injury time, meaning he will definitely miss the first leg of the final.

Surprise about the referee of the Vietnam vs Philippines match

The Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) has just officially announced the referee who will officiate the second leg of the semi-final match between Vietnam and the Philippines at My Dinh Stadium. Specifically, the referee who will officiate the second leg of the AFF Cup 2018 semi-final between Vietnam and the Philippines is Mr. Kimura Hiroyuki, a 36-year-old Japanese referee.

He has experience of refereeing major matches in FIFA tournaments since 2010. Hiroyuki's two assistants are Yagi Akane (Japanese) and Manoj Kalwani, the referee for this match will be Ahmad A'Qashah Bin Ahmad Al'Badowe (also Singaporean).

Referee Kimura Hiroyuki is no longer a strange name to Vietnamese football. In 2016, at the AFF Cup, this Japanese referee was the main referee in the 2-1 victory of the Vietnamese team against the Myanmar team.

Notably, in that match, Mr. Kimura Hiroyuki was heavily criticized by Myanmar fans because they thought that this referee had made biased decisions in favor of the Vietnamese team. Typically, Que Ngoc Hai's foul in the penalty area caused Myanmar to unfairly lose a penalty.

De Gea makes mistake, Martial & Lingard rescue MU

Welcoming Arsenal at home in round 15 of the Premier League, coach Mourinho surprised everyone by not using Pogba, Lukaku, Sanchez, Valencia... instead, Rojo, Dalot, Darmian were placed in the starting lineup. Playing at home, MU intended to attack their opponents first but their efforts were unsuccessful. After the initial explosive period, Man United retreated to defend.

Thanks to that, Arsenal started to approach De Gea's goal. In the 26th minute, from a corner kick, Mustafi comfortably headed towards MU's goal. De Gea's catch was not solid, leading to the Red Devils' loss. However, just 4 minutes later, Martial shined to equalize 1-1 for MU.

In the second half, both teams pushed forward. In the 68th minute, MU's defense made another mistake. Marcos Rojo passed the ball incorrectly, allowing Lacazette and Mkhitaryan to combine freely before the French striker finished to raise the score to 2-1. But just 1 minute later, Lingard equalized 2-2 for MU with a close-range finish. In the remaining time, neither team scored any more goals, accepting a draw.

With this draw, MU's position on the rankings has not changed. Meanwhile, the draw has pushed Arsenal out of the Top 4. They have the same 31 points as Chelsea but lose on goal difference.

Liverpool reverse win against Burnley, Chelsea shockingly lost to Wolves

Premier League Results

MU 2-2 Arsenal
Everton 1-1 Newcastle
Wolves 2-1 Chelsea
Burnley 1-3 Liverpool
Tottenham 3-1 Southampton
Fulham 1-1 Leicester City

Burnley looked set to make a difference against Liverpool when they took the lead in the 54th minute thanks to Cork's strike. However, the Reds staged a stunning comeback to claim all three points away from home. James Milner equalised for Liverpool in the 62nd minute before Roberto Firmino and Shaqiri sealed a 3-1 win for the hosts. The win saw Liverpool maintain their second place, two points clear of leaders Man City.

Chelsea were shocked in their trip to Wolves. They took an early lead thanks to Loftus-Cheek's goal in the 18th minute, but Chelsea had to fend off a strong response from their home players. Wolves rose up and attacked relentlessly after conceding the goal. Their efforts were converted into a goal in the 59th minute thanks to Jimenez. Less than 5 minutes later, Jota shocked Chelsea fans with a goal to make it 2-1.

In the remaining time, Wolves maintained the score, thereby having their first victory after 7 rounds in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Chelsea lost 3rd place to Tottenham, the team that crushed Southampton with a score of 3-1.

Southampton appoint new coach

Southampton FC have appointed Ralph Hasenhuttl as their new manager, replacing Mark Hughes, who was sacked on Monday. Ralph Hasenhuttl is no stranger to football fans as he helped RB Leipzig achieve great success. In RB Leipzig's first season in the Bundesliga, Ralph Hasenhuttl helped the team finish 2nd. Last season, Leipzig finished 6th. However, Ralph Hasenhuttl decided to leave the club after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

Leading Southampton at this time will be a difficult task for coach Ralph Hasenhuttl. The St'Mary team is currently ranked 18th in the Premier League with 9 points after 15 matches. Early this morning, they lost 1-3 to Tottenham under the guidance of the assistant coach.

MU must "judge" Pogba and Mourinho

The Independent newspaper reported that after being scolded by Mourinho and blamed for MU's 2-2 draw with Southampton, Paul Pogba told his teammates that he could not stand this situation any longer. Meanwhile, the Portuguese strategist is said to have also reported to MU's big bosses that he had done everything he could with Pogba but to no avail!

MU now has to "judge" Mourinho and Pogba, if they want MU to focus on playing and aiming for better results.

According to the above source, the relationship between Mourinho and Pogba is getting worse by the people involved. The player is playing below his level, not completing his mission, while the teacher is failing to build a world-class squad. Not to mention, Mourinho also has a habit of blaming the players whenever his team plays poorly.

Barca should buy De Jong, De Ligt immediately!

Former player Patrick Kluivert warned his old team Barca that Man City is also interested in signing Ajax star duo De Jong and De Ligt, so the Catalan team should act now or miss out.

"They are two great talents and very suitable for Barca's style. Both De Jong and De Ligt are national team players and their value is increasing day by day. There are many clubs interested in this duo, but Barca's style of play is the most suitable, this is also an important factor in their decision.

I know Man City, a club with strong financial resources, are also pursuing De Jong and De Ligt and this could be a problem for Barca.

De Jong (21 years old) is a great player. He is like Sergio Busquets. De Ligt (19 years old) is very strong, calm, good ball control. He has the quality to play for Barca as well as any team."

In addition to Barca and Man City, according to news from Bild, Bayern Munich is also preparing 150 million euros to bid for the talented duo of Dutch football.