Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team defeats European team; Ronaldo's reaction when not nominated for Golden Ball

Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team defeats European team at world championship

The Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team continued to make a splash at the 2025 U21 World Cup when they impressively won 3-1 against U21 Serbia on the afternoon of August 8 in the second round of the group stage. This was the second consecutive win for coach Nguyen Trong Linh and his team. Before that, Dang Thi Hong and her teammates won against host U21 Indonesia in the opening match.

In the first set, U21 Vietnam took the initiative, taking advantage of Dang Thi Hong's effective attacks to take the lead and win 25-21. In the second set, the two teams played a tug-of-war, but the European representative showed their class to win by a close score of 25-23, equalizing the score 1-1.

Set 3 witnessed a tense match when U21 Vietnam led 18-13 at one point but let the opponent shorten the gap. However, U21 Vietnam tried hard to win 25-22, leading 2-1. Entering set 4, Coach Nguyen Trong Linh's students made a strong breakthrough and won 25-23, ending the match with a final score of 3-1.

According to statistics, athlete Dang Thi Hong scored 15 points in this match, while Le Thuy Linh scored 13 points and Bich Hue 12 points. On the U21 Serbia side, Mihajlovic led with 14 points, but it was not enough to save the situation.

This victory almost certainly helped U21 Vietnam to secure a ticket to the round of 16, and also caused an "earthquake" by defeating a strong candidate from Europe.

The 23rd FIFA U21 Women's Volleyball World Cup 2025 will take place in Surabaya, Indonesia from August 7 to 17, bringing together 24 women's national teams under 21 years old from 5 continental confederations. This is the first time the tournament has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams. The Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team will participate for the first time and will be in the same group with Argentina, Serbia, Indonesia (host), Puerto Rico and Canada. According to the format, the top 4 teams in the group stage will qualify for the next round.

According to the match schedule, U21 Vietnam will meet U21 Canada (1:00 p.m., August 9), U21 Argentina (10:00 a.m., August 11) and meet U21 Puerto Rico at 1:00 p.m. on August 12.

Injuries constantly haunt Cong Phuong

After missing out on the 2024/25 First Division championship and refusing a special promotion to the 2025/26 V-League, Dong Nai Club (formerly Binh Phuoc) actively trained its players and played friendly matches to prepare for the new season.

In the match against Becamex HCM City on August 6, Dong Nai played quite well and had a 2-2 draw with the V-League representative thanks to a double from striker Ho Thanh Minh. The match only lasted about 60 minutes before having to end due to unfavorable weather.

Under the guidance of coach Viet Thang, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai FC started the game better than Becamex HCMC. Newcomers like Ho Thanh Minh, Luong Xuan Truong and Tran Minh Vuong had quite good performances.

Notably, in this match, Dong Nai Club's main striker - Cong Phuong could not play due to injury.

According to information from the Dong Nai Club coaching board, Cong Phuong must rest for at least a week, which means he will continue to be absent from the friendly match with Gia Dinh Club in Ho Chi Minh City on August 9.

Recently, Cong Phuong has been continuously injured, thereby missing two training sessions of the Vietnamese team preparing for the Asian Cup qualifiers.

In early October, the Vietnam team will gather again to prepare for the next two matches against Nepal (October 9 and October 14). Cong Phuong's chance to be called up to the national team is still open, despite the special attention of coach Kim Sang-sik.

Ronaldo's reaction when not nominated for the Golden Ball

For the second year in a row, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi are in the top 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or award.

Despite scoring 33 goals in all competitions last season and winning the 2025 Nations League with Portugal, Ronaldo is still absent from the list.

A few hours after France Football magazine announced the nomination list, Ronaldo shared a status on his personal page with the content: "Keep trying, there is still much to do". Along with that was a photo of himself celebrating a goal for Al Nassr.

At 40, Ronaldo will once again be absent from next month's awards ceremony in Paris. Notably, no player playing outside the top five European leagues is nominated, with the exception of Viktor Gyokeres after his explosive season with Sporting Lisbon (Portugal).

Ronaldo has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with not being able to win the Ballon d'Or race. In 2021, CR7 criticized the organizers' decision to award the award to Messi instead of him. Last year, the Portuguese superstar declared that the award for male players "no longer has credibility" after Rodri won over Vinicius Junior.

Ronaldo last won the award in 2017. Between 2004 and 2024, at least one of the two superstars Ronaldo or Messi was always on the nomination list.

In the early morning of August 8, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to help Al Nassr win 4-0 in a friendly match with Rio Ave.

Garnacho has a new destination

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Alejandro Garnacho has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and only wants to join the London team. Chelsea are now preparing to enter the negotiation stage with Manchester United to finalize the transfer fee.

This information was also confirmed by journalist David Ornstein (The Athletic) on the afternoon of August 8. He said Chelsea is stepping up contact with MU, while Garnacho is ready to wear the "The Blues" shirt. The 21-year-old winger has refused all other offers, except to go to Stamford Bridge or continue to stay at Old Trafford.

Sources say Garnacho's determination to leave stems from tensions with coach Ruben Amorim, who is said to have advised him to find a new destination. MU's shopping move further strengthens this possibility: "Red Devils" have just reached an agreement to recruit Benjamin Sesko for 85 million euros - a large investment seen as a step to pave the way for Garnacho to leave the club.

Initially, MU valued Garnacho at 80 million euros, but reduced the request during the negotiation process. Some sources said that around 50 million euros could satisfy both sides.

Garnacho played 58 games in all competitions last season, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists. If the deal is completed, he will become Chelsea's ninth signing in the summer of 2025.

Rashford unexpectedly changes roles at Barca

Coach Hansi Flick is now experimenting with Marcus Rashford in the central striker role, a significant tactical change from the original plan.

When successfully borrowing Rashford, Barcelona's plan was to let the player play as a winger. He is versatile, operating well on both wings, creating conditions for Raphinha or Lamine Yamal to have time to rest. However, in the context of the Catalan team having to "cut their coat according to their cloth" due to financial difficulties, coach Hansi Flick has new calculations.

According to AS, Rashford is considered a strategic backup option for the "number 9" position. During the Asian tour, coach Flick tested Rashford in the center forward role and immediately got positive results with the first goal for the team. "He can play in the number 9 position," coach Flick said after witnessing his student's performance.

The change comes from the real needs of the squad. At 36, Robert Lewandowski is unlikely to plow through a full season with around 60 matches in all competitions. Therefore, having a quality replacement is extremely urgent. Along with Ferran Torres, Rashford will give Flick more options in attack.

In the past, Rashford has admitted that the striker position is his favorite role. Although his scoring form has declined recently, coach Flick is famous for his ability to "revive" strikers and is expected to help Rashford find his scoring instinct again.

The loan deal for Rashford with a €30 million buyout clause is considered a smart move by Barcelona. However, the Camp Nou team still faces difficulties due to strict financial regulations in La Liga. Rashford is currently not registered to play.