New Thai coach sets goal to beat Vietnam: U22 will play on artificial turf at SEA Games 2019
(Baonghean.vn) - Mr. Akira Nishino considers the confrontation with Park Hang-seo and his team in the World Cup qualifiers a must-win match. Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam must play on artificial turf at the 2019 SEA Games.
Thailand coach confident
"At this point, it's probably too early to set long-term goals. But I'll work day by day and closely observe the players. However, we want to reach the round of 12 in the World Cup qualifiers and must beat Vietnam," said coach Nishino.Siam SportOn July 21, when asked about Thailand's goals in the second qualifying round, Asian region, World Cup 2022.
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Coach Nishino sees defeating Vietnam as a goal. Photo:Siam Sport. |
Thailand and Vietnam are in Group G, along with Malaysia, Indonesia and the UAE. The group winners will advance to the third qualifying round. Four of the eight runners-up with good records will also advance. After becoming the first foreign Asian coach to lead Thailand, Mr. Nishino has been repeatedly asked about the match against Southeast Asian rivals - Vietnam.
The Japanese coach also showed confidence despite having only 10 days to work with the players before the match against Vietnam. He said: "I have never been afraid. Before leading Japan to the 2018 World Cup, the media also asked me about having only 2 months to work with the players before the tournament. However, I still brought the team to the round of 16. Now I have 10 days."
"I believe the Thai team also has a lot of potential to improve further," Nishino continued. "From my experience observing Thai players, I believe I can help them. Because I think I can apply the methods I used with Japanese players."
The new Thai coach also believes that his team's group in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers is not difficult, and that his team can come out on top. "I don't think it will be difficult to qualify, but it won't be too easy either. We have the advantage of facing Southeast Asian teams, so it will be easy to travel," Nishino said.
Football Association of Thailand President Somyos Pumpanmuang expressed his full support for coach Nishino. He said: "From observing Thai players improve a lot after playing in J-League, I believe Nishino will help our players develop their abilities and be able to compete with stronger teams in the future."
U22 Vietnam must play on artificial turf at SEA Games 2019
The 3 venues for men's football matches at the 30th SEA Games are Rizal Memorial Stadium, Umak Football Stadium and Binan Lagun Stadium. All 3 stadiums use artificial turf.
The host country, the Philippines, has decided to use artificial turf at the 30th SEA Games. This has caused quite a bit of surprise because many players in other countries are competing on natural grass.
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| Rizal Memorial Stadium is one of three venues for men's football matches. Photo: Internet. |
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) was very surprised by this news. Coach Park Hang-seo and his colleagues will definitely have to reconsider their preparation plans for the Vietnam U22 team in the near future. In the immediate future, the VFF will send people to the Philippines to survey the competition venues.
According to the original plan, the U22 Vietnam team will participate in the BTV Cup from November 3 to 6 in Binh Duong on natural grass. After that, the team will start to get used to the artificial pitch. Coach Park Hang-seo and his team will most likely have to go to the neighboring country early to prepare carefully.
The host country also officially decided on the number of players participating. Each team will only have 20 slots, including 2 players over 22 years old. VFF plans to bring 22 or 23 players and will reduce to 20 before the final official list is finalized.
SEA Games 30 took place in the Philippines from November 30 to December 11, 2019. The Vietnamese delegation participated with 627 athletes out of a total of 890 registered participants.
Ronaldo had a nice gesture with a young fan in the match against Tottenham
In the match between Tottenham and Juventus on the evening of July 21 at ICC 2019, the Portuguese superstar left a beautiful moment on the field despite having to accept defeat in the final minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star that fans were looking forward to in Juventus's opening match at the International Champions Cup (ICC) 2019. The Portuguese striker was the owner of the goal that raised the score to 2-1 in the 60th minute before being taken off shortly after.
However, even on the bench, Ronaldo knew how to become the center of attention. In the final minutes of the match, a young fan ran onto the field and approached Ronaldo's seat, hoping to interact with his idol.
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| Ronaldo high-fived a young fan on the bench. Photo: Mirror. |
Unlike the usual incidents of overzealous fans rushing onto the field, the Portuguese superstar not only welcomed the boy with a smile, but also high-fived him and invited him to sit on the bench to watch the match until the end.
After the final whistle, coach Maurizio Sarri expressed his admiration for the professionalism of the stadium organizers in Singapore. "I think the security staff will be there soon. However, this is just a boy. It was not an action to interrupt the match. It was a moment of joy and happiness,"