Vietnamese women's football team is just one win away from the U17 World Cup; Aston Villa reaches European Cup final after 44 years.
The Vietnam U17 women's team has a chance to qualify for the World Cup; In the early hours of May 8th, Aston Villa thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0... These are some of the prominent sports news stories from the past 24 hours.
Vietnamese women's football is just one win away from the U17 World Cup.
The Vietnam U17 women's team has a chance to qualify for the World Cup after advancing from the group stage of the 2026 AFC U17 Women's Championship.
The final match of the group stage of the 2026 AFC U17 Women's Championship saw a clash between Vietnam and Myanmar.
This was a tournament where the Vietnam U17 women's team always knew how to make the most of the set-piece situations they had. In the 18th minute, from a distance of up to 30 meters, Linh Chi unleashed a beautiful free-kick, giving the Myanmar goalkeeper no chance to save it and opening the scoring for Vietnam.
Entering the second half, Myanmar made tactical adjustments. They were determined to push forward to find an equalizer and keep their hopes of advancing alive. However, the Vietnam U17 women's team once again demonstrated their ability to capitalize on opportunities effectively. In the 55th minute, Ngoc Anh executed a beautiful free kick to increase the score to 2-0.
In the 66th minute, Thaw Dar Hnin unleashed a powerful shot to reduce the deficit to 1-2, making the final minutes exciting. However, against the well-organized defense of the Vietnam U17 women's team, the opposing side had to accept a 1-2 defeat.
Thus, the Vietnam U17 women's team advanced to the quarterfinals as the runner-up in Group A and will face either Australia or Japan. The four winning teams in the quarterfinals will qualify for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.
Hanoi FC travels to Thanh Hoa: Aiming to claim the runner-up position in the V-League 2025/26.
In Round 22 of the V-League 2025/26, Hanoi FC aims to defeat Thanh Hoa to narrow the gap with The Cong Viettel and solidify their ambition to secure second place in the standings.
Home advantage will be a crucial morale boost for the Thanh Hoa team as they face one of the title contenders. A positive result at this point would not only bring them closer to safety but also provide a morale boost for the final stages of the season.
In terms of personnel, Thanh Hoa suffered a significant setback with Huynh Minh Doan absent due to accumulating three yellow cards. Notably, assistant interpreter Do Van Phuc was also unable to directly coach the team due to a similar suspension. Conversely, Hanoi FC was without defender Vu Tien Long due to a red card, but coach Harry Kewell still had many quality replacement options at his disposal.
It is expected that Thanh Hoa will approach the match with a 4-1-4-1 formation, prioritizing a deep defensive block to ensure safety. Meanwhile, Hanoi FC will most likely continue to operate with their familiar 4-3-3 formation.
Crystal Palace achieves a remarkable feat in European competition.
In the early hours of May 8th, the London team defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the second leg of the semi-final and secured their place in the Conference League final with an aggregate score of 5-2.
Crystal Palace reached the final of a European cup competition on their first appearance. In the history of English football, only two clubs have achieved the same feat: West Ham in the 1964/65 European Cup and Newcastle in the 1968/69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The "Blue Eagles" will face Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig on the morning of May 28th.
The home team maintained pressure and took the lead thanks to a goal from Daniel Munoz. However, Shakhtar didn't give up easily. In the 34th minute, Eguinaldo unleashed a spectacular shot into the top corner of the net, leveling the score at 1-1 and rekindling hope for the Ukrainian side.
In the second half, Ismaila Sarr stepped up at the right moment. Just seven minutes after the break, the Senegalese striker scored the winning goal, securing the victory for Palace and bringing his total goals for the season to 19.
Aston Villa reach European Cup final after 44 years.
In the early hours of May 8th, Aston Villa thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final to secure their place in the Europa League final with an aggregate score of 4-1.
For the first time since 1982, Aston Villa have reached the final of a European cup competition. Under manager Unai Emery, he continues to demonstrate his knack for the second-tier European cup competition, leading a club to the final for the sixth time.
The Spanish manager holds the record for most Europa League titles (4 times). His only defeat in the final of this competition was with Arsenal. Aston Villa's final opponent will be Freiburg. The 2025/26 Europa League final will take place in Türkiye on the morning of May 21st.
The turning point came in the 56th minute, when Nikola Milenković fouled Pau Torres by pulling his shirt inside the penalty area. From the penalty spot, Buendía calmly beat Ortega to give Villa the lead.
Not stopping there, the home team at Villa Park continued their explosive performance. John McGinn shone with two consecutive goals after beautiful combinations with Watkins and Morgan Rogers, sealing a convincing 4-0 victory.