Thanh Chung hopes to lift the AFF Cup for the first time; Indonesian newspaper sees Xuan Son as a threat
Defender Thanh Chung hopes to lift the AFF Cup; Indonesian newspaper praises Xuan Son. Those are the outstanding sports news in the past 24 hours.
Thanh Chung hopes to lift the AFF Cup for the first time
The whole team is relaxed and excited. I myself have not yet had a position.Southeast Asian champion"So we are very determined in this year's tournament," defender Thanh Chung expressed before leaving for Laos to play the opening match of the AFF Cup 2024.
On the morning of December 6, the Vietnamese team left for Laos to prepare for the opening match in Group B of the Southeast Asian Championship - AFF Cup 2024 against the host team 3 days later.
Before departure, defender Thanh Chung assessed that the team had a very useful training trip in Korea, getting to compete with strong opponents.
The defender said the whole team is relaxed and excited before the first match with the Laos team.
"I myself have not won the Southeast Asian championship yet, so I am very determined in this year's tournament," Thanh Chung shared and expressed his wish that fans would accompany and cheer on the team on their journey to conquer the AFF Cup 2024.
According to the AFF Cup 2024 schedule, the Vietnamese team in Group B will meet Laos (December 9), Indonesia (December 15), Philippines (December 18), and Myanmar (December 21).
Indonesian newspaper sees Xuan Son as a threat
After the Vietnamese team finalized the list of 26 players participating in the 2024 Southeast Asian Football Championship - ASEAN Cup, the Indonesian newspaper Bola published an article with the following content: "Xuan Son is a danger to the Indonesian team. The presence of a naturalized player makes the Vietnamese team ready to destroy our team.
Being present at the ASEAN Cup 2024 is a particularly meaningful event for Xuan Son, where he officially debuted for the Vietnamese team."
How complicated is Van Lam's injury that prevents him from participating in the AFF Cup 2024?
On the afternoon of December 5, Coach Kim Sang Sik finalized the list of 26 players of the Vietnam National Team to participate in the AFF Cup 2024 (ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024). In particular, the absence of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam due to injury is the most regrettable..
Seven players had to say goodbye to the team, including goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, midfielder Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Van Truong, Tran Bao Toan, Nguyen Thai Son, strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Quoc Viet.
Among the 7 players mentioned above, the most unfortunate case is Dang Van Lam. Van Lam injured his left calf and could not recover in time before the team entered the AFF Cup 2024. It should be added that Van Lam's left calf problem had occurred many times before.
During this training session, he relapsed. After each training session, the 1993-born goalkeeper felt pain in his calf. Doctors and physical therapists tried their best to help Van Lam. But in the end, the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper still missed the Southeast Asian tournament.
Ancelotti's changes help Bellingham "revive"
Jude Bellingham is back in scoring form as he has scored in four consecutive La Liga games for Real Madrid.
Bellingham’s rise has come as Carlo Ancelotti has returned to the 4-4-2 system that saw him shine last season, allowing him to roam freely and help out defensively when needed.
“We became more aggressive and efficient in possession,” said Ancelotti. “Kylian Mbappé’s influence up front opened up more space in the final third. Bellingham took advantage of that. I played him on the right wing because I thought he could find more space to get into the box. The left wing has more options this year, as opposed to the right.”
With Vinícius absent due to injury and Mbappe inconsistent in scoring goals, Bellingham is shouldering a huge responsibility at Real Madrid. In fact, although Bellingham has made great strides compared to the beginning of this season, this midfielder still needs support from his teammates. Real Madrid's midfield, including Luka Modrić, Aurélien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, have not really shone this season.
The defeat to Bilbao ended Real Madrid's four-match unbeaten streak against this opponent. More importantly, coach Ancelotti and his team threw away their advantage in the 2024/25 La Liga championship race. Currently, Real Madrid is still four points behind Barcelona but has only one match left to play.
