Vietnam has a bright chance of winning the friendly tournament; Barca is looking for a way to re-sign Messi

Vietnam has a bright chance of winning the friendly tournament at home.

With the current situation, Vietnam - the team with 3 points thanks to the victory over Singapore in the first round - only needs to draw with India in the final round on September 27 to win the tournament on home ground. Today, both coach Park Hang-seo and assistant Lee Young-jin went to Thong Nhat Stadium to watch the Singapore - India match live to evaluate the opponent more specifically.

Kuruniyan (No. 22) played impressively, scoring to help India draw 1-1 with Singapore on the evening of September 24. Photo:Duc Dong/VnExpress

India was rated higher when ranked 104th in FIFA, 55 places higher than Singapore. And coach Igor Stimac's team soon materialized that assessment with the good coordination between the attacking trio Chhetri - Colaco - Kuruniyan. In the 6th minute, these 3 strikers coordinated smoothly to open up a finishing space on the right wing, but Colaco missed when the ball was too much on the outside of his foot. In the 19th minute, Colaco continued to challenge, making Hassan Sunny work hard with a long shot from about 20m.

Singapore also had quality responses thanks to the ability of young striker Ikhsan Fandi. In the 25th minute, he chose the right landing point, jumped high and headed the ball to the ground, but goalkeeper Gurpreet Sandhu managed to close the angle. However, Fandi did not have to regret for too long. In the 37th minute, from a kick 28 meters from the goal on the left wing, this striker shot hard, the ball hit the wall and changed direction, leaving Sandhu helpless.

But Singapore's lead only lasted six minutes. Anumanthan made a clumsy cross in midfield to the opposition. Chhetri won the ball, then assisted Kuruniyan to finish and equalise. Chhetri, captain of the Indian team, is currently ranked fifth in the list of international goalscorers with 84 goals.

In the second half, the game was less exciting than the first half. India had two dangerous chances, but could not beat goalkeeper Hassan Sunny. The two teams had to accept a 1-1 draw.

Barca looking to re-sign Messi

Mundo Deportivo revealed that the Camp Nou team is serious about welcoming Messi back to play in the summer of 2023, when the Argentine superstar ends his 2-year contract with PSG. Coach Xavi Hernandez is also interested in the prospect of welcoming Messi back to Barca in the future. In addition, the Catalan team also plans to make Leo an ambassador for the club after the striker retires.

However, according to the above source, Messi may have to take a pay cut to play at Camp Nou. L'Equipe once revealed that the Argentine superstar receives a salary of up to 25 million Euros per season at PSG. That does not include the 15 million Euro loyalty fee.

Barca is also said to have to balance the salary fund significantly if they want to welcome Messi back to play. The Catalan team had difficulty registering new players for the 2022 Summer transfer window, because the salary fund exceeded the standards allowed by the La Liga Organizing Committee.

Messi may have to take a pay cut if he wants to return to Barca. Photo:Reuters

Messi just scored a double in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Honduras in a friendly match on the morning of September 24 (Hanoi time). The 35-year-old superstar's immediate goal is to play well at the 2022 World Cup in November.

Sharing in an interview after the win over Honduras, Messi said: "This year everything will be different. I feel comfortable entering the new season, everything around me is very good, from the relationship between teammates, the atmosphere in the dressing room or the results of the matches. I feel everything is going in the right direction."

Premier League gun ready to join Man Utd

With Cristiano Ronaldo almost certain to leave Old Trafford after his contract expires, Man Utd are said to be looking to sign another quality centre-forward in the future. Currently, there are a series of names being linked with the Red Devils, typically the case of Ivan Toney.

Toney is ready to go to Man Utd.

Having thrived since joining Brentford, Toney has continued his impressive form this season, with five goals and two assists in seven Premier League appearances. It is therefore understandable that Toney is being watched by Man Utd, and it seems that the English striker has already made a decision for the Old Trafford team.

According to the revelation from journalist Pete O'Rourke (cited by SportsMole), Toney will certainly not refuse if there is an opportunity to move to Man Utd. Currently, Toney's contract with Brentford still has about 3 years left, so obviously Man Utd will have to pay a large fee to make this deal.

Hien Tung according to VnExpress/Zing