Thailand missed out on Vietnam in the SEA Games 31 semi-finals; Messi was not named in the Ligue 1 best squad

Thailand missed Vietnam in the SEA Games semi-finals

Thailand U23 team defeated Laos U23 team 1-0 in the final match of Group B men's football.SEA Games 31at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh) on the evening of May 16. With this result, U23 Thailand rose to the top of Group B, because before that U23 Malaysia was held to a 2-2 draw by U23 Cambodia.

Thailand struggled to overcome Laos in the final match.

Thus, the two semi-final pairs of men's football at SEA Games 31 have been determined, U23 Vietnam (first in Group A) will meet U23 Malaysia, while U23 Thailand (first in Group B) will face U23 Indonesia.

Semi-final match betweenU23 VietnamThe semi-final match between U23 Thailand and U23 Indonesia will take place at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh) on May 19.

Vietnamese athletics shines with 4 gold medals on the third day of competition

On the competition day of May 16, Vietnamese athletics continued to contribute 4 gold medals to the national sports delegation, thereby maintaining the top position in the overall rankings.

Finishing first in the women's 800m race, Khuat Phuong Anh burst into tears because her efforts were rewarded with a gold medal with a time of 2 minutes 08 seconds 74. Khuat Phuong Anh had to wait until her third SEA Games appearance to be crowned champion after unfortunate failures due to injuries.

"I have fulfilled the promise my coach made 2 years ago. I am an athlete who often gets injured. My training results are better than the gold medal of the previous SEA Games, but unfortunately for me, my injury prevented me from winning a medal. This year, my aunt and I have coordinated better and have not been injured to compete in the SEA Games at home this time," Khuat Phuong Anh shared after the victory.

Khuat Phuong Anh showed superiority over her opponents to win the gold medal with a time of 2 minutes 08 seconds 74. Photo: Duong Thuat

In the joy of her student's victory, coach Nguyen Thi Bac said: "I have a lot of confidence in an athlete who has moved from the 400m event to compete in this event. She has good speed. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, Phuong Anh was injured so her performance was not good. In addition, Phuong Anh had little international competition in many big arenas so she was quite nervous when competing. Before the SEA Games, she wanted to show that she would be successful at home this time to dedicate it to me as well as her family and friends."

In the men's 3000m obstacle race, young athlete Le Tien Long had a spectacular breakthrough in the last lap, finishing nearly 4 seconds ahead of senior Do Quoc Luat and leaving the third-place Indonesian athlete 8 seconds behind to win the first gold medal at a SEA Games.

The biggest surprise on the competition day of May 16 was that in the women's 100m hurdles, an unfamiliar face, Bui Thi Nguyen (21 years old), won the gold medal with a time of 13 seconds 51. Previously, experts expected senior Huynh Thi My Tien to be the one to snatch the gold, however, My Tien only ranked 6th out of 6 athletes competing.

In the women's long jump event, another surprise occurred when 22-year-old athlete Vu Thi Ngoc Ha surpassed ASIAD champion Bui Thi Thu Thao to win the championship with a score of 6m39, exactly 1cm more than her senior.

Thus, after 3 days of competition, Vietnamese athletics won a total of 13 gold medals, nearly reaching the target (15-17 gold medals) at the 31st SEA Games.

MU postpones contract negotiations for Luke Shaw and Fred

The Sun said MU will wait for Erik ten Hag's decision on Luke Shaw and Fred before considering whether to make an extension offer or not.

Both will be out of contract next summer, so Shaw and Fred's departure and stay will be finalized by the new captain in the coming days.

Luke Shaw.

Luke Shaw will stay at Old Trafford if Ten Hag guarantees him playing time, otherwise he will look for a new destination. Midfielder Fred is in a similar situation and will have his choice after meeting with his new coach.

Previously, when appointing Erik ten Hag to the "hot seat", MU's leadership agreed to let the captain have the final say on the future of current players as well as signing new contracts.

Messi is not named in the Ligue 1 team of the season

Four PSG players made it into the Ligue 1 team of the season, but Lionel Messi was not named.

Four PSG names are in the typical lineup including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, center back Marquinhos, left back Nuno Mendes and striker Kylian Mbappe. Of these, Donnarumma is perhaps the most surprising case because he only made 17 appearances for PSG in Ligue 1, behind Keylor Navas (20).

Messi's absence from the list is understandable given his forgettable season with PSG. The 34-year-old superstar has only made 25 appearances in Ligue 1, contributing 6 goals and 13 assists - a number much lower than expected.

Ligue 1 Team of the Season 2021/22.

Joining PSG in the summer of 2021 as a free agent, Messi often suffers from injuries or physical problems. The match against Montpellier in round 37 of Ligue 1 was the first match Messi scored a double for PSG in this tournament.

Multiple sources say Messi is looking to return to Barca in the summer of 2022. President Joan Laporta has also discussed the prospect of Messi returning to the Nou Camp, but only as a guest when the stadium is renovated.

"Messi and I are no longer in regular contact but I would love to have Leo here with us for the inauguration of the new stadium," Laporta told Catalan magazine RAC 1 earlier this year.

Currently, Messi still has a contract with PSG until 2023, with an option to extend for another year.