Tien Linh, Duy Manh, Van Quyet... perform in special match; Korean newspaper predicts coach Kim Sang-sik will surpass coach Park Hang-seo after winning double title

Tien Linh, Duy Manh, Van Quyet... perform in a special match

On the afternoon of August 3, VietFootball Joint Stock Company organized a special friendly match between the "amateur" team VPL Dream Team, which brings together outstanding players of the 2025 National 7-a-side Football Championship, and Vietnam All Stars, which includes national players and former national players such as Tien Linh, Tien Dung, Duy Manh, Van Quyet, Hai Long, Dinh Tung, Huy Hung, Van Thang...

Under the cheers of more than 2,500 spectators packed into the Hoang Mai stadium (Hoang Liet ward, Hanoi), the two teams delivered a beautiful, eye-catching match with 6 goals scored equally for each side.

Not only satisfying the desire to compete with national players, through the match, the team selects the best players on the national 7-a-side field and also has an important and useful practice session towards representing Vietnam to participate in the 2025 Bia Saigon Dragon Cup International 7-a-side Football Tournament (scheduled for August 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City with guests from Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines).

In addition to performing and contributing, the players of both teams joined hands to contribute a total of 50 million VND to the "Couple of Loving Leaves" fund - a program with the mission of "Giving the opportunity to go to school - Giving the opportunity to change life" of Vietnam Television, helping children in difficult circumstances have the opportunity to study, sowing the seeds of dreams...

Goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien conceded 2 goals, HAGL drew dramatically with Thailand team

HAGL continues their friendly journey in Thailand with a match against PT Prachuap FC - the team ranked 7th in Thai League 1 in the 2024/2025 season. The match took place at 5:00 p.m. on August 3 and ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.

This is HAGL's second friendly match during their overseas training trip to prepare for the 2025/2026 V.League season. Under coach Vu Tien Thanh, the mountain town team advocates experimenting with the squad and playing style, thereby creating conditions for young players to compete with strong opponents from the Thai League.

In this match, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, who just won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with U23 Vietnam, was given the opportunity to start. Despite playing quite hard, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien still had to pick the ball out of the net twice after sharp attacks from the home team.

The 2-2 draw against the 7th ranked Thai League team was a positive result for HAGL, in the context that they did not focus on the result but prioritized checking their form, fitness and tactics. This was also an opportunity for coach Vu Tien Thanh to continue reviewing the squad, thereby building a stable framework towards the new V.League season.

According to the plan, HAGL Club will play more friendly matches in Thailand next week, before returning home to complete preparations for the 2025/2026 season.

Korean newspaper predicts coach Kim Sang-sik will surpass coach Park Hang-seo after winning two titles

According to Chosun Ilbo, in just the first 2 years of his tenure, coach Kim Sang-sik won 2 major titles, something that took coach Park Hang-seo 6 years to do.

At the end of July, coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnam U23 team won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, after leading the national team to victory at the 2024 ASEAN Cup earlier this year. He became the first coach in the history of Vietnamese football to win both the biggest regional titles at the national team and U23 levels in the same term.

In an interview with Vietnamese media, Coach Kim emphasized: “The immediate goals are the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers, the Asian Cup qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. I will continue to look for and give opportunities to new faces in the U23 team, thereby building a solid foundation for future national team levels.”

This statement was quoted by the Chosun Ilbo (Korea), and at the same time gave much praise to the coach born in 1976. In the article titled: "Kim Sang-sik challenges the title of 'Best Korean Coach in Southeast Asia': I will win again", the newspaper commented that this strategist has a great opportunity to surpass his predecessor Park Hang-seo in terms of coaching achievements in Vietnam.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper also commented that the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship is proof that Vietnamese youth football is establishing a solid position in the region. More importantly, coach Kim Sang-sik not only leads the U23 team but is also the head coach of the national team, playing a central role in the journey to revive Vietnamese football after the era of coach Park Hang-seo.

Currently, Coach Kim Sang-sik's next big goal is the 2025 SEA Games gold medal. If he achieves this achievement, he will not only make a personal mark but also open a new chapter for Vietnamese football under the leadership of a new generation of coaches.

MU 2-1 Everton: Mbeumo makes his mark

In the early morning of August 4, Bryan Mbeumo sparked the attack that brought the opening goal for the "Red Devils" at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mbeumo plays highest on MU's attack line.

Score: Man Utd 2-1 Everton

Goal scorers: Bruno Fernandes (19'), Ndiaye (40'), Mason Mount (69').

Main events:

In the 5th minute, Mbeumo sparked a MU attack. However, Cunha's shot from a tight angle missed the target.

In the 7th minute, O'Brien's rebound shot hit the MU goal post.

In the 15th minute, Beto defeated Bayindir in a one-on-one but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

In the 17th minute, Mbeumo passed the ball to Amad to enter the penalty area and earn a penalty.

In the 19th minute, Bruno Fernandes coolly took a penalty kick, putting MU ahead.

In the 28th minute, Mbeumo shot twice in a row from close range but was blocked by the goalkeeper.

In the 40th minute, after Ugarte lost the ball, Ndiaye finished close to the goal, bringing the match back to the starting line.

In the 69th minute, Mount turned and finished with class in the penalty area, raising the score to 2-1 for MU.

Andre Onana, Joshua Zirkzee, Lisandro Martinez are absent due to injury.