FIFA referee to officiate Vietnam-Iraq match; Mourinho rejects Benfica
(Baonghean.vn) - The match between Vietnam and Iraq will take place at 8:30 p.m. on January 8 (Vietnam time); Detailed results of the 2019 Asian Cup on January 7; Surpassing Neymar, CR7, Mbappe is the most valuable player in the world; Wolves knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup... are notable sports news today.
Qatar referee officiated Vietnam vs Iraq match
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| Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim to officiate Vietnam-Iraq match |
The identity of the referee for the match between Vietnam and Iraq has also been confirmed by AFC, that is the black-shirted king Abdulrahman Al-Jassim from Qatar. This referee is the one who officiated the first leg of the AFF Cup 2018 semi-final between the Philippines and Vietnam.
In that match, the Vietnamese team won 2-1 thanks to goals from Nguyen Anh Duc and Phan Van Duc. Abdulrahman was recognized as a FIFA referee in 2013. He was the main referee at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as a VAR referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Asian Cup 2019 match schedule today:The match between Vietnam and Iraq will take place at 8:30 p.m. on January 8 (Vietnam time). And the match between Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
Coach Eriksson still praises his players despite losing to Korea
The Philippines team suffered a 1-0 defeat against South Korea in Group C, Asian Cup 2019. Despite playing hard and creating opportunities, coach Eriksson and his team could not make a difference against a higher-class South Korea.
The Swedish coach congratulated the Korean team, but also praised his players' performance: "I congratulate Korea but I am also proud of the players for fighting hard. We created more chances than I expected before the match and it seems my players satisfied the fans."
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South Korea won with a minimal score against the Philippines. Photo:AFP. |
As for Korean coach Paulo Bento, he said his players had many difficulties against the Philippines' dense defense.
The Portuguese coach said after the match: "This is an important victory. It was difficult for the players to create space and opportunities, because the opponent played with a dense defense. The opening goal also helped us create many opportunities to score more goals."
Detailed resultsAsian Cup 2019:
Table C
China - Kyrgyzstan 2-1
Pavel Matiash (50, own goal), Yu Dabao 78 - Akhlidin Israilov 42
South Korea - Philippines 1-0
Ui-Jo Hwang 67
Table D
Iran - Yemen 5-0
Mehdi Taremi (12, 25), Ashkan Dejagah 23, Sardar Azmoun 53, Saman Ghoddos 78
Thailand dropped 4 places on the rankings
Before the opening match of the 2019 Asian Cup group stage, Thailand ranked 118th in the FIFA rankings, while India ranked 97th. After a heavy defeat to the team rated lowest in Group A, coach Milovan Rajevac was fired by the Football Association of Thailand. Meanwhile, Thailand's ranking in the FIFA rankings has fluctuated.
According to the new scoring system, a win in the opening match will help India gain 14.83 points. Thus, India will have 1254.62 points and increase at least 2 places on the FIFA rankings to 95th place. On the other hand, Thailand will lose 14.83 points, leaving them with 1144.84 points. This means Thailand will drop 4 places, falling to 122nd place on the FIFA rankings.
Another team that has made a huge leap up the FIFA rankings in January is the Jordan national team. With the surprise defeat of Australia, Jordan will be added 25.18 points to climb to 104th place. Meanwhile, the defeat caused Australia to lose 25.18 points and fall from 41st to 50th place.
Wolves knock Liverpool out of FA Cup
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FA Cup 2018/19 fourth round draw
Swansea v Gillingham
AFC Wimbledon v West Ham
Shrewsbury/Stoke v Wolves
Millwall v Everton
Brighton v West Brom
Bristol City v Bolton
Accrington v Derby/Southampton
Doncaster v Oldham
Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday/Luton
Newcastle/Blackburn v Watford
Middlesbrough v Newport
Manchester City v Burnley
Barnet v Brentford
Portsmouth v QPR
Arsenal v Manchester United
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
In the context of having to focus on two fronts, Premier League and Champions League, coach Jurgen Klopp only deployed the second team when facing Wolves in the FA Cup. Liverpool's reserve team played worse than Wolves. The home team took the lead twice thanks to Jimenez and Neves. Origi's equalizer in the second half was not enough to help the Reds turn the situation around, although coach Klopp later brought in his trump cards. Losing 1-2, Liverpool were officially kicked out of the FA Cup.
Mbappe is the most valuable player in the world
According to the latest announcement of the CIES Football Research and Statistics Center, Kylian Mbappe is the most expensive player in the world (196 million pounds). The French attacking star is valued higher than his seniors such as Harry Kane, Neymar, Ronaldo or Messi. Harry Kane is valued at 180 million pounds, Neymar is ranked 3rd with a value of 177 million pounds. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo is only ranked 19th on this list with 114 million pounds while Messi is ranked 7th with 153.7 million pounds.
Mourinho turned down Benfica
Shortly after being sacked by Manchester United, Jose Mourinho was offered a return to the coaching bench. The offer came from Benfica, who had sacked Rui Vitoria in the middle of last week. However, Mourinho refused. According to Portuguese sports daily Record, Mourinho said that taking on the Benfica job was not something he would consider at the moment. It seems that Mourinho is still waiting for an offer from a more prestigious team.
Real Madrid unveil new signing Brahim Dia
Real Madrid have just introduced new signing Brahim Diaz, the player they bought from Man City for a transfer fee of 17 million euros plus 7 million euros in additional fees. The Spanish player's contract with Real Madrid will last until June 2025. The salary of the player born in 1999 will be 3.5 million euros per season.
Diaz can play in four different positions: left and right winger, attacking midfielder and even deep-lying. Diaz started his career at Mortadelo and moved to Man City in 2013. Diaz made his debut for Man City at the age of 17 years and 49 days, against Swansea City in the League Cup in the 2016/17 season. Since then, the Spanish midfielder has been a reserve for the blue half of Manchester. Brahim Diaz has not even played a single Premier League game this season.
Zidane wants Bernardo Silva to move to Man Utd
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If he leads MU, Zidane wants to make Bernardo Silva change his blue shirt to red |
According to The Sun, besides Pochettino (Tottenham), Zidane is a strong candidate to be MU's captain from next season, after interim coach Solskjaer takes charge of the Red Devils until the end of this year's tournament.
Don Balon also mentioned the possibility of the French football legend joining Bayern Munich. However, MU fans were delighted when this source added that Zidane wanted Bernardo Silva in the squad when he returned to the "hot seat".
Silva is an important player for Man City, playing in a versatile role. This season, the 24-year-old midfielder contributed 7 goals and 6 assists for the Etihad team.
If Zidane can bring Bernardo Silva to Old Trafford, once he sits in the "hot seat" here, it will be a great addition to the Red Devils' squad.
Dortmund pursue Timo Werner
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Striker Timo Werner (Photo: Getty). |
According to SportBild, Dortmund considers Leipzig striker Timo Werner as an ideal target to replace midfielder Christian Pulisic, who moved to Chelsea for a transfer fee of up to 57.5 million pounds, the third most expensive in the history of the London (England) capital team. Timo Werner is valued at about 65 million pounds according to transfermarkt.
Arsenal spends big on James Rodriguez
According to The Mirror, Arsenal are planning to spend up to £65 million to realise their ambition of bringing midfielder James Rodriguez to the Emirates Stadium. The Colombian international is currently playing at Bayern Munich on loan from Real.
Godin joins Inter Milan
According to Sky Italia, Godin has reached an agreement on a 2-year contract with the Italian team with a salary of 6 million euros/season. The Uruguayan midfielder of Atletico will join Inter in the summer of 2019 on a free transfer./.