Thai and Indonesian media speak out about Vietnam's victory; Arsenal struggles to beat the "tiny" team
Thailand was defeated by the Philippines 2-1 in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 semi-finals; Thai and Indonesian media praised the victory of the Vietnamese team. Those are the outstanding sports news in the past 24 hours.
Thailand "collapsed" in the 90+5 minute of the first leg of the ASEAN Cup semi-final
On the night of December 27, Thailand was defeated by the Philippines with a score of 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-finals.ASEAN Cup 2024.
In a balanced match, the Philippines unexpectedly took the lead thanks to a moment of brilliance from Sandro Reyes. In the 21st minute, number 6 received the ball from Monis, before unleashing a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, giving the Thai goalkeeper no chance to block it.
After conceding a goal, Thailand tried to rise up but could not find a way to approach the home team's goal.
Eleven shots were taken by Thailand, 9 of them in the second half but the score was still only 1-1.
When both teams' fans were expecting a draw, the Philippines unexpectedly took the lead 2-1 in the 90+5 minute. VAR did not intervene, and the home team's goal was recognized amid the extreme excitement of the players, coaching staff and the majority of spectators at Rizal Memorial Stadium. Thailand could only blame themselves for wasting too many opportunities in the second half.
Thai and Indonesian media speak out about Vietnam team's victory
Vietnam defeated Singapore 2-0 away at Jalan Besar Stadium in the first leg of the AFF Cup semi-final in an emotional way with two goals in the final minutes of extra time by Nguyen Tien Linh (90+11) and Nguyen Xuan Son (90+14).
After the match, Bola (Indonesia) headlined, “Vietnam team angry against Singapore, dramatic goal in extra time”. This Indonesian newspaper wrote, “Drama in extra time happened in the semi-final of AFF Cup 2024, Vietnam team defeated Singapore team with two goals at the end of the match.
Meanwhile, Thairath newspaper of Thailand headlined, “Vietnam team “opens fire” at the end of the match, “massacres” Singapore team on away field”. Like Bola newspaper, Thairath newspaper commented, “In the first half, Singapore attacked more but without sharpness.
Arsenal barely beat the "tiny" team
Arsenal had a hard-fought 1-0 win over weak Ipswich Town thanks to Kai Havertz's only goal.
In the latest match of round 18 of the Premier League 204/2025, Arsenal will host the weak team Ipswich Town at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners' goal is nothing more than 3 points to continue chasing Liverpool in the championship race.
With home field advantage and superior strength, Arsenal completely dominated right after the opening whistle while the visitors Ipswich could only focus all their strength on defense.
23 minutes after the ball started, the home team opened the scoring. In the second half, Arsenal continued to dominate the match. The Gunners created many opportunities thanks to their trademark corner kicks, but coach Arteta and his team could not successfully take advantage of them to score more goals.
Arsenal maintained their minimal victory until the end of the match. The Emirates team has 36 points, returning to second place, 6 points behind Liverpool but having played 1 more match.
Mohamed Salah can dethrone Erling Haaland
Coach Arne Slot's team has created a huge advantage in the championship race, not to mention they still have one match left to play.
Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's brightest star in the 2024/25 season. The Egyptian striker's goal against Leicester City was his 16th in the Premier League. He also contributed 11 assists in the tournament.
With his relentless scoring streak, Mohamed Salah has made history in the Premier League as the eighth player to reach the beautiful milestone of 100 goals at home. Of these, 98 were for Liverpool and two for Chelsea. With his unstoppable form, Mohamed Salah has a great chance of dethroning Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot award.
