No team remains undefeated in the V-League 2024/25; Man Utd were fortunate to draw with Everton.
Ha Tinh FC suffered their first defeat of the season; China U20 lost their World Cup qualification spot; Man Utd were lucky to draw with Everton... these are some of the notable sports news stories from the past 24 hours.
No team will remain undefeated in the V-League 2024/25.
Finally, Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 0-1 away to Hai Phong.
Before the second half of the 2024/25 V-League season began with Round 14 on the afternoon of February 22nd, Ha Tinh was the only undefeated team after the first 13 rounds. Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team won only 3 matches but drew 10, setting a record of not losing at all this season.
However, in their very first match of the second half of the season, Ha Tinh suffered their first defeat, losing 0-1 at Lach Tray Stadium to Hai Phong. The only goal of the match was scored in the 71st minute by Huu Son.
This defeat leaves Ha Tinh still in 6th place on the standings with 19 points. Meanwhile, Hai Phong has temporarily escaped relegation with 14 points, ahead of 13th place.SLNAThat's exactly 2 points.
Two V.League teams could be banned from playing at home.
Quy Nhon Binh Dinh and Hong Linh Ha Tinh risk not being allowed to play at home for the remainder of the 2024/25 V.League season. The pitches at both Ha Tinh and Quy Nhon stadiums have seriously deteriorated recently.
On the afternoon of February 22nd, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), the V.League organizing committee, conducted an inspection of Quy Nhon Stadium. At the time of the inspection, the quality of the pitch still did not meet professional requirements (the grass on the field was uneven, with many areas having very sparse grass, such as the midfield area and the goal areas on both sides...).
The league organizers acknowledge the efforts made by Quy Nhon Binh Dinh to improve the condition of the stadium. However, measures such as temporarily suspending training and matches on the field and increasing maintenance work on the pitch have not yet yielded results.
VPF requested that "Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club urgently address the shortcomings in the quality of the playing surface at Quy Nhon Stadium, especially issues related to sparse and weak grass areas, and the hardness and flatness of the surface; continue to monitor and improve the quality of the playing surface at Quy Nhon Stadium so that Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club can soon return to playing at home when the conditions are ensured. In parallel with continuing to improve the playing surface quality, Binh Dinh Club needs to temporarily register another stadium that meets the standards as its home stadium for the upcoming matches."
By February 25th, the VPF will conduct another assessment to determine whether Binh Dinh FC will be allowed to play their home matches. On February 24th, the VPF will inspect the quality of the Ha Tinh stadium. Currently, the Central Vietnam representative has addressed the issue by purchasing golf course grass to fill in the gaps. However, if the stadium still does not meet the requirements, Ha Tinh will have to play their home matches elsewhere.Vinh Stadium.
China U20 lost their World Cup qualification spot in the 95th minute.
Despite dominating the game and creating numerous opportunities, the Chinese U20 team suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the Asian U20 Championship, missing out on a World Cup qualification spot.
With the home advantage and the enthusiastic support of the fans, the Chinese U20 team dominated the first quarter-final match against the Saudi Arabian U20 team.
The host team of the 2025 AFC U20 Championship dominated the West Asian players, creating numerous chances in front of their opponents' goal. However, the lack of finishing from the Chinese U20 strikers meant that no goals were scored in the first half.
After the halftime break, the Chinese U20 team continued to increase the pressure and created a series of good scoring opportunities. They even had a penalty awarded in the 59th minute. However, Liu Chengyu's shot was too weak, allowing goalkeeper Hamed Al Shanqiti to easily save it.
Shortly after, Liu Chengyu had another golden opportunity from a teammate's cross inside the penalty area, but once again, he incredibly missed.
For the remainder of the match, the Chinese U20 team controlled the game but were unable to score a single goal.
Despite numerous attacks, China U20 failed to score and paid a heavy price in the 90+5th minute. Substitute Amar Al Yuhaybi scored the only goal, securing the victory for Saudi Arabia U20 and a place in the semi-finals of the AFC U20 Asian Championship.
This bitter defeat meant that the Chinese U20 team missed out on a ticket to the 2025 U20 World Cup, which went to a representative from West Asia.
Man Utd were fortunate to draw with Everton.
Everton hosted Man Utd at a time when the two teams were in completely contrasting form. The Goodison Park side were maintaining an unbeaten run with four wins and one draw, while Man Utd had suffered a series of defeats and displayed lackluster performances on the pitch. Entering the match, the Red Devils were still struggling to break down the opposition.
After a few notable attacks, Everton soon got what they needed. In the 19th minute, following a scramble in the Man Utd penalty area, Doucoure delivered a perfectly weighted pass for Beto to finish and open the scoring for Everton. The referee consulted VAR thoroughly before confirming the goal.
Having conceded an early goal, Man Utd lost confidence and showed few positive signs. The visiting team's midfielders struggled to build up play but were ineffective. In such a situation, Everton's counter-attacks proved effective. In the 32nd minute, Jack Harrison unleashed a dangerous shot, but Onana made an excellent save. Doucoure then headed the ball in to make it 2-0 for Everton.
In the remaining minutes of the first half, Man Utd tried to mount a comeback but they couldn't even manage a single shot on goal.
In the second half, the situation didn't change much for Ruben Amorim's team. They remained unable to find a way past Pickford's goal. Meanwhile, Everton squandered numerous opportunities from set pieces, and the home side paid a heavy price.
In the 72nd minute, from a direct free kick just outside the penalty area, Bruno Fernandes unleashed a skillful shot to reduce the deficit to 1-2 for Man Utd. Eight minutes later, taking advantage of Doucoure's hesitant clearance, Manuel Ugarte fired a shot from just outside the penalty area to equalize at 2-2.
In injury time, Man Utd were fortunate to avoid defeat when the referee ruled that De Ligt's shirt-pulling incident on Ashley Young inside the penalty area was not a foul. Man Utd drew 2-2 with Everton, remaining in 15th place in the table with 30 points.
Yamal creates impressive statistics.
In the early hours of February 23rd, Barcelona defeated hosts Las Palmas 2-0 in the 25th round of La Liga.
Lamine Yamal has been goalless in La Liga since his goal against Real Madrid in October 2024. However, this doesn't bother fans, as the young Spaniard continues to shine in cup competitions and plays a crucial role in Barcelona's style of play.
The match against Las Palmas was no exception. Yamal played energetically on the right wing and helped Barca make a difference with an assist in the 62nd minute. Yamal skillfully dribbled past the defender before delivering a perfectly timed pass for Dani Olmo to penetrate the penalty area and finish past the goalkeeper.
At the age of 17, Yamal has been involved in a total of 50 goals at the highest level of football. The young star born in 2007 has scored 21 goals and provided 29 assists, across both club and national team. This is also Yamal's 12th assist in La Liga this season, the highest number in the league.
This number should have been higher, given Yamal had several chances in the second half against Las Palmas. However, the Euro champion failed to capitalize on them to end his nearly four-month goal drought in La Liga.
In the 70th minute, Yamal even chased after a pass from the home team's player before dribbling back and creating an opportunity for Robert Lewandowski. From close range, the Polish striker headed the ball straight to the goalkeeper who was already in position.
In the final minutes, Yamal was substituted off. His replacement, Ferran Torres, shone with a goal in the 90+5th minute, sealing a 2-0 victory for "Blaugrana" away from home.
This result keeps Barcelona at the top of the table with 54 points, one point ahead of Atletico Madrid and three points ahead of Real Madrid.