Vietnam receives good news before the match against Thailand; Binh Dinh loses in the opening match of V.League
(Baonghean.vn) - Captain Dung Quang Nho and two teammates recovered from Covid-19, helping Vietnam escape the worry of not having enough players to play in the U23 Southeast Asian final with Thailand; Playing at home but losing players due to Covid-19 and being unlucky, Binh Dinh lost 0-2 to Viettel in round 1... are the outstanding sports news that just happened.
Vietnam receives good news before the final with Thailand
On the morning of February 25, the organizing committee conducted PCR tests on a group of 23 Vietnamese players who had contracted Covid-19 before the semi-final match. According to the results returned late in the afternoon of the same day, Quang Nho, Truong Duc Manh and Tran Manh Quynh were negative. These three players are therefore eligible to play in the final against Thailand on February 26.
On the evening of February 25, the team received more good news when Tran Quang Thinh - who tested positive after the semi-final match - had a negative PCR result. This player who played very well in the center-back position against Timor Leste can now play in the match against Thailand.
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| Vietnam U23 players rejoice after defeating Timor Leste 5-3 in a penalty shootout on February 24. Photo: Anh Quoc |
In the semi-final match against Timor Leste, Vietnam only had 13 players eligible to compete, even though they had used up all the rights to add 10 members from Vietnam.
After the victory over Timor Leste, Vietnam lost Doan Viet Anh due to injury, and Tran Quang Thinh due to a positive rapid test. The team at risk has only 11 players left for the final, including two goalkeepers.VFF requests to add more players, but has not been approved by the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF). With the return of Quang Nho, Duc Manh and Manh Quynh, U23 Vietnam will have at least 15 players for the final match of the 2022 Southeast Asian U23 tournament.
Binh Dinh lost the opening match.
Having just returned to the V-League last year, Binh Dinh is one of the most anticipated teams this season. The Quy Nhon team has spent a lot of money to bring in national team players and quality foreign players. However, they only have 17 players to face Viettel because Covid-19 has devastated the club's forces in the past few days. As for Viettel, despite losing two pillars in defense - Que Ngoc Hai and Trong Hoang - the team under coach Truong Viet Hoang still pursues a pragmatic style of play, taking the solidity of the defense as the foundation. This makes the opening match of the V-League 2022 somewhat boring.
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| Viettel happy after winning the opening match of the season. Photo: Duc Dong |
With a 2-0 victory, Viettel climbed to the top of the V-League table because in the remaining two matches, Hai Phong and SLNA both won 1-0. In the next round, coach Truong Viet Hoang and his team will play the capital derby with Hanoi on March 1 while Binh Dinh will be the guests at SLNA's stadium.
Barca to face Galatasaray in Europa League round of 16
On the evening of February 25 (Hanoi time), the draw for the round of 16 of the Europa League took place. Former Sevilla goalkeeper Andreas Palop led his old team to a tough opponent West Ham. The first leg will take place in Spain.
The strongest team in the round of 16, Barca, only has to face Galatasaray. The Turkish representative is in bad form in the domestic league, ranking 13th, only 6 points above the relegation zone. Barca is in good form, scoring 15 goals in the last 5 matches in all competitions and remaining unbeaten.
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| Europa League Round of 16 match details. Photo: UEL. |
2019/20 Champions League semi-finalists Leipzig face Russian capital club Spartak Moscow. Round of 16 winners Borussia Dortmund Rangers face 1991 European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade.
All Europa League round of 16 matches will be played on 10 March. The second legs will be played 7 days later. The draw will take place on 18 March.