Nguyen Manh leaves Vietnam national team; Women's team rises 1 place in FIFA rankings

Vietnam National Team Says Goodbye to the Best Goalkeeper of V.League 2023

Vietnam national team goalkeeper Nguyen Manh will not be participating in the next two FIFA Days matches of the Vietnam national team. A chronic knee injury has prevented him from recovering to 100% of his form.

Nguyen Manh suffered a long-term injury.

With a long history of injuries, since joining the team, Nguyen Manh has been examined by the team doctors and given rehabilitation exercises combined with therapy. However, due to the persistent injury that has become chronic, the goalkeeper from Nghe An needs to rest and continue to actively treat for a while longer to regain 100% of his form.

During the short training session last March, Nguyen Manh was also called up to the Vietnam national team, but still had to practice according to a separate regimen under the guidance of doctors. After that, taking advantage of the V.League break, Nguyen Manh went to Ho Chi Minh City to recover at a professional injury rehabilitation center.

When the ball rolled again, Nguyen Manh continued to play and became an important stopper in the Nam Dinh FC squad. However, due to not being completely treated, although he was still on the field, Nguyen Manh had to face prolonged pain.

After receiving a detailed report from the doctors about Nguyen Manh's condition, coach Philippe Troussier decided to create conditions for this goalkeeper to return to the club to focus on treatment. He also encouraged his student to try to completely treat the injury and return to the best condition soon. Thus, Nguyen Manh is the second case after Hong Duy to have to leave the team due to injury. The current number of players on the team is 30, including 3 goalkeepers and not including 2 players playing abroad: Cong Phuong (returned home on June 10) and Van Toan (returned home on June 12).

Speaking more about Nguyen Manh, he is currently the best goalkeeper in V.League 2023. After 10 appearances this year, Nguyen Manh has only conceded 7 goals.

Vietnam women's team rises 1 place in FIFA rankings

According to the FIFA rankings updated on June 9, the Vietnamese women's team rose one place to 32nd in the world. The Vietnamese team increased 5.23 points compared to the last update (March 2023). This achievement comes from the impressive performance of coach Mai Duc Chung and his team at the 32nd SEA Games and the first qualifying round of the 2024 Olympic women's football event.

Huynh Nhu - the number 1 star of the Vietnamese women's team. Photo: Zing.vn

The Vietnamese women's team played a total of 7 matches during the above period. Huynh Nhu and her teammates only lost one match. That was the defeat against the Philippines in the group stage of women's football at the 32nd SEA Games.

With 1648.89 points, the Vietnamese women's team maintained its 5th place in Asia. The 32nd SEA Games champion ranked behind the teams of Australia, Japan, China and South Korea. In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese women's team ranked first, far ahead of the two teams of Thailand and the Philippines.

At the 2023 World Cup, the Vietnamese team will face the US, Portugal and the Netherlands, respectively. The US and the Netherlands are the defending champions and runners-up of the tournament. The FIFA rankings of the Vietnamese women's team will be directly affected by these matches. However, this is a great opportunity for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team to gain valuable experience against top teams.

Haaland takes Man Utd as Champions League inspiration

"I've dreamed and thought about winning the Champions League all my life. It's always been my dream," Haaland said on BBC on June 9. "In 2008, Man Utd met Chelsea in the final. When I saw Man Utd's celebration, I wanted to do it too, and now we're getting closer to winning the championship."

Haaland jumps high to head the ball during a training session with Man City at Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul, Türkiye on June 9. Photo:mancity.com

If he beats Inter, Haaland will win the Champions League for the first time and help Man City replicate Man Utd's treble of 1998-1999. As a teenager at Red Bull Salzburg, the Norwegian striker used to play the traditional Champions League song in his car, and even used it as his alarm. "I love the Champions League and I want to enjoy it, so I listen to that song. It's a very good song," Haaland explained.

"Man City won the Premier League twice in a row before I arrived, so they know how to win this competition. The only title they lack is the Champions League, so you understand why I came here," Haaland confidently said.

At the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye today, Man City will face Inter in the Champions League final. According to bookmaker Ladbrokes, the English team's chances of winning in 90 minutes are higher, with odds of 2/5 (bet five to win two). Meanwhile, the odds for Inter are 7/1.