U23 Vietnam takes top spot in U23 Asian qualifiers; Lamine Yamal makes big statement about Golden Ball 2025
Vietnam U23 took the top spot in the U23 Asian qualifiers; dramatically defeated the Netherlands, Japan entered the semi-finals of the women's volleyball world; Lamine Yamal made a big announcement about the 2025 Golden Ball... Those are the notable sports news in the past 24 hours.
U23 Vietnam takes top spot in U23 Asian qualifiers
On the evening of September 3, at Viet Tri Stadium, U23 Vietnam defeated Bangladesh 2-0 to take the lead in Group C of the U23 Asian qualifiers.
Right from the start of the match, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team completely dominated. In the 15th minute, Ngoc My opened the scoring after a delicate assist from Dinh Bac. In the second half, the substitutes entered the field to help diversify the attack. After many missed opportunities, in the 84th minute, Le Viktor scored the winning goal, 2-0.
U23 Bangladesh almost did not create any dangerous situations, while U23 Vietnam had their goals denied many times by the goalposts and crossbar.
With 3 points, U23 Vietnam temporarily surpassed Yemen to lead the group. On September 6, the team will face Singapore, while Bangladesh will face Yemen.
Japan beat Netherlands in a dramatic match, entering the semi-finals of the women's volleyball world cup
The quarter-final match of the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Cup between Japan and the Netherlands was extremely dramatic with a breathless chase through 5 sets.
In the opening set, the Netherlands started impressively with strong side attacks and solid defense, quickly winning 25-20.
However, Japan responded with determination in set 2, improving their passing ability and promoting their strong counter-attacking style to win 25-20, equalizing the score.
Set 3 saw the Netherlands continue to surprise by using their powerful serve to take the lead with a score of 25-22. Being pushed into a difficult position, Japan refused to give up.
In set 4, the last representative of Asia in the quarterfinals showed resilience, breaking through at the right time to win 25-22, thereby pulling the match into a decisive set 5.
In the deciding set, the Netherlands started better but could not overcome the tenacious fighting spirit of the Japanese team. Yukiko Wada and Captain Mayu Ishikawa shined at the right time, helping Japan turn the game around and win 15-12.
In the end, Japan defeated the Netherlands 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12), thereby convincingly entering the semi-finals of the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship.
Ballon d'Or winner Rodri points out the reason why Man City lost 2 matches in a row
Man City have just suffered their second consecutive defeat in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's team opened the scoring against Brighton but let their opponents win in the second half. Reigning Ballon d'Or winner Rodri started but could not help his team earn a single point.
Rodri recently shared with the media: "I am not Messi. I cannot come back and immediately help the team win one match after another. This is a team sport; when we won the championship before, I always needed the help of all my teammates."
Rodri added: “I definitely need time to recover and get back to my best form. My return does not mean the team will win. Hopefully after the break we can come back stronger."
In addition, the Spanish midfielder frankly pointed out: "Some of the mistakes we made were very silly, like children, not focused and not paying attention. The fact is that we need to improve our level if we want to compete."
"It's a collective problem, there are a lot of changes, new players have to adapt, and when you change the squad so much it's inevitable that there will be difficulties. This is the reality, not an excuse," added Ballon d'Or winner Rodri.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has officially completed his transfer from PSG to Man City for a fee of £26 million. This player will replace Ederson when the goalkeeper moves to Fenerbahce.
The Italian goalkeeper has signed a five-year contract with the Etihad Stadium team, with the option of a further year. At 26, the goalkeeper has a big responsibility to take over from Ederson, who left Man City to join Fenerbahce after eight glorious years with Pep Guardiola.
Coach Amorim gives MU heavy training
After the first 3 rounds of the 2025/26 Premier League, Manchester United entered the first international break of the new season. 10 Manchester United first team players were not called up to the national team this time, and will work with coach Amorim at the Carrington training center for the next 10 days.
Notably, among them is new signing Senne Lammens, who joined Manchester United on the last day of the summer transfer window. The new goalkeeper of the "Red Devils" was not called up to the Belgian national team.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have been left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad, while midfielders Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount have also been left out.
Along with Tom Heaton, Tyler Fredricson, Diego Leon, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee, they will be at Carrington to maintain their fitness, preparing for the fourth round of the Premier League. According to the Manchester Evening News, coach Amorim will organize more intensive training sessions for the remaining first-team players of the club. He expects players like Mazraoui, Shaw and Zirkzee to regain their fitness and reach their peak form.
The Portuguese tactician has also focused on helping new signing Lammens integrate into his new team. Another case of rehabilitation at Carrington is Matheus Cunha, who was initially called up to coach Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squad. However, an injury suffered in the match against Burnley forced him to withdraw from the squad.
Lamine Yamal makes big statement about Ballon d'Or 2025
The race to the 2025 Ballon d'Or, with a shortlist of 30 names, in which the two strong candidates mentioned are Ousmane Dembele (PSG) and Lamine Yamal (Barca).
The gala to announce the winner will take place in Paris on September 22 and the French are expecting it to be their player - the main star of PSG's spectacular season, including the first Champions League title in the club's history.
Dembele is considered to have the advantage of winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or, ahead of Lamine Yamal and other competitors. He had 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 matches for PSG last season.
In addition to winning the Champions League, the French striker also won the Best Player of the 2024/25 campaign, demonstrating his excellence and influence on PSG's success. He is also the Ligue 1 top scorer,...
But Lamine Yamal also won a lot of support for the noble individual title at the age of 18, thanks to his impressive performances on the field.
Yamal won the domestic treble with Barca, scoring 18 goals and providing 25 assists in 55 games. He has continued his good form in the new season, with 2 goals and 2 assists in Barca's first 3 La Liga games.
Lamine Yamal spoke frankly about his ambition to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or: "On a collective level, winning the Champions League with Barca would be great. On an individual level, as a player, everyone wants to win the Ballon d'Or, anyone who says otherwise is lying.
To win that title at 18 would be remarkable. I hope it happens to me.”./.