Concerns for Dang Van Lam; Indonesia's World Cup dreams shattered.

Indonesia's World Cup dreams are shattered.

In the early hours of October 12th, Indonesia lost 0-1 to Iraq in the fourth round of qualifiers, officially closing the door to the 2026 World Cup.

Indonesia put in a decent performance. However, a momentary lapse in concentration proved costly for the Southeast Asian representatives. Zidane Iqbal's late goal in the 76th minute secured a crucial victory for Iraq, giving them the same 3 points as Saudi Arabia in the Asian qualifiers, Round 4. Meanwhile, Indonesia officially ended their World Cup qualification hopes after two consecutive defeats.

In the final round on October 14th, Saudi Arabia and Iraq will battle it out for first place in the group, which would secure a direct ticket to the Americas next year. The losing team will face the risk of going to the intercontinental play-offs.

Worried about Dang Van Lam

Throughout the victory against Nepal, Van Lam only had two opportunities to face the opponent's shots but conceded one goal.

After a year's absence from the national team due to various reasons, the goalkeeper of Vietnamese and Russian descent was given a chance to play by coach Kim Sang-sik thanks to his impressive performance for Ninh Binh Club, the champions of the 2024-2025 National First Division League, with the record for the longest unbeaten streak.

Compared to his national team teammates, Van Lam has more international experience but is limited in his ball-handling skills. Throughout the victory against Nepal, Van Lam only had two opportunities to face the opponent's shots but conceded one goal.

Due to this situation, Van Lam was criticized for being indecisive in his rush out to make the save. The 1.88m tall goalkeeper also failed to demonstrate leadership, lacking coordination with the central defenders in aerial duels. According to the statistics website Sofascore, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam had the lowest score in the Vietnamese national team's lineup in the 3-1 victory against Nepal, only achieving 6.4 points.

Ronaldo disappoints

In the early hours of October 12th, the 40-year-old superstar missed a penalty in Portugal's 1-0 victory over Ireland in the European World Cup qualifiers.

In the 73rd minute, Francisco Trincao unleashed a shot from just outside the 16.5-meter line. Dara O'Shea dived to block it but the ball hit his hand. The referee immediately awarded Portugal a penalty.

As usual,Cristiano Ronaldo was tasked with taking the penalty. The superstar born in 1985 unleashed a shot straight at the center of the goal, but it was blocked by Caoimhi Kelleher's foot.

Ronaldo squandered a golden opportunity, nearly costing Portugal a point against the bottom-ranked team in the group.

However, in the 90+1 minute, Trincao delivered a perfect cross for Ruben Neves to leap and head home, scoring the only goal of the match at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Barcelona receives a cold shower from FIFA.

FIFA is likely to prohibit the Barcelona-Villarreal La Liga match and the AC Milan-Como Serie A match from being moved to the United States and Australia, respectively.

According toSiteFIFA is drafting new regulations, aiming to implement them from the beginning of next year, to restrict or completely ban domestic leagues from taking place outside of national borders. This decision stems from UEFA's reluctant approval of La Liga and Serie A being played abroad.

UEFA explained: "Due to the current lack of detail and clarity in FIFA's legal framework, the UEFA Executive Committee was forced to approve these two matches on an exceptional basis. UEFA reiterates its position against holding domestic matches outside of home territory."

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin emphasized: "Domestic matches should be held at home. Playing abroad would deprive loyal fans of their rights and could create distortions. This decision is exceptional and will not become the norm."

Thanh Nga