Vietnam women's team regrettably lost to Australia; Barca won the opening match of La Liga thanks to the referee

Vietnam women's team regrettably lost to Australia

On the evening of August 16, the Vietnamese women's team confidently entered the semi-final match of the Southeast Asian women's football tournament with the Australian U23 women's team when receiving cheers from the audience at Lach Tray Stadium.

However, the Kangaroo team surprised the Vietnamese women's team by actively pressing (putting pressure on the entire field). That made coach Mai Duc Chung and his team play quite passively.

Not only that, the Australian U23 women's team also successfully "preempted" with two consecutive goals very early. In the 6th minute, Aideen Keane headed the ball into the Vietnamese women's team's net. In the 16th minute, Leticia McKenna increased the score to 2-0 with a beautiful long-range shot.

Taking an early 2-goal lead made it easier for the U23 women's team to play. They retreated deep into a defensive formation, taking advantage of their physical and mental strength to block the attacks of the Vietnamese women's team.

Despite their best efforts, coach Mai Duc Chung's team could not create many opportunities against the solid defense of the Australian U23 women's team.

It was not until the end of the match that we started to shine and had some significant opportunities. In the 88th minute, Bich Thuy reduced the score to 1-2 for the Vietnamese women's team after a tight-angle shot. In the remaining 8 minutes, the Vietnamese girls pressed hard but could not score.

With this result, the Australian U23 women's team has won the right to enter the final against Myanmar. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese women's team will enter the third-place match against Thailand at 4:30 p.m. on August 19.

Vietnam women's volleyball team closes U21 World Cup with big win

On the afternoon of August 16, in Indonesia, the U21 women's volleyball team of Vietnam entered the match for 19th place with the U21 Dominican Republic. This is the team ranked 5th in Group B, beat Tunisia 3-0 and lost to Canada 0-3 before meeting the U21 women's volleyball team of Vietnam.

Regarding the U21 women's team of Vietnam, despite receiving an unexpected penalty from the International Women's Volleyball Federation, coach Nguyen Trong Linh and his team still maintained their spirit, courage and demonstrated professionalism.

Vietnam U21 women's team started the first set with a 7-4 lead over Dominican Republic U21. However, Quynh Huong's serve turned the game around. Coach Nguyen Trong Linh's team continued to maintain a deep lead before winning 25-19.

On the rise, the Vietnam U21 women's team won sets 2 and 3 consecutively with the same score of 25-17, ending the match with a score of 3-0.

This is the second consecutive match that young striker Pham Quynh Huong has scored the most points on the team. The athlete from the women's volleyball club of the Information Corps - Corps 19 scored 13 points, including 9 points on attack, 1 point on block and 3 points on serve.

At the end of the tournament, the Vietnam U21 women's team ranked 19th overall. Before being punished, coach Nguyen Trong Linh and his team had created historic victories against U21 Serbia and Canada with the same score of 3-1.

For the first time, Serie A is held in a country belonging to the Southeast Asian Football Federation.

AC Milan has been given permission by the Italian Football Federation to host a Serie A match against Como in Perth, Australia next year.

The match was scheduled to coincide with the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which was to be held at Milan's legendary San Siro stadium on February 6. Therefore, the European football giant had to find an alternative, and they did not choose a place close to home but a place half a world away.

If the plan goes ahead, it would be the first time an official Serie A match has been played outside of Italy. However, many fans have criticised the idea, with some calling it “pitiful”.

One fan commented harshly: “How much money did you spend on this? You guys are making a fool of yourself, how pitiful.” Another asked: “Who in Australia would want to watch Milan play Como?” Another fan sarcastically said: “Why not just hold Inter Milan vs Juventus in… the Gaza Strip?”

It is known that AC Milan also recently set foot in Western Australia, when they had a pre-season friendly match against Perth Glory at HBF Park on July 31. The difference in class was very clear, when the "Rossoneri" easily crushed their opponents 9-0.

Meanwhile, La Liga had planned to play Barcelona against Atletico Madrid in Miami last year, but the plan was scrapped due to scheduling issues. Previously, in 2019, Barcelona also planned to move the match against Girona to Miami (USA), but the plan soon collapsed due to strong opposition from the Spanish Football Federation and the players' association.

For its part, the Premier League (England) has repeatedly stated that it has no plans to take official matches abroad. Australia officially joined the AFF in 2013, after moving from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006.

Ronaldo's historic match in India

Cristiano Ronaldo will make a special trip to India to face FC Goa in the Asian second division, AFC Champions League Two.

The draw placed Al Nassr in Group D with FC Goa (India), Istiklol (Tajikistan) and Al-Zawraa (Iraq). The top two teams in each group will advance.

"This is truly a unique moment in the history of FC Goa," said club CEO Ravi Puskur. "Hosting Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest match in the history of Indian club football."

At 40, Ronaldo has yet to win a major trophy with Al Nassr since joining in 2022. The Riyadh club, who finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season, are expected to bring their strongest squad to India. In addition to Ronaldo, Al Nassr also boasts Sadio Mane, Kisngley Coman and Joao Felix.

"This is a historic milestone for Indian football. We are here because of our strength, and this match is an opportunity to prove that we are capable of competing on the continental stage, contributing to writing great stories of football," Mr. Puskur emphasized.

Not stopping at the professional aspect, Puskur believes that the Ronaldo effect will spread throughout India, bringing a boost to the struggling football industry. The 2025/26 Indian Premier League, scheduled to start in September, was postponed due to legal issues between the Federation and the organizing partner, forcing many clubs such as Bengaluru, Odisha or Chennaiyin to cut salaries or stop operating.

“Of course the financial revenue is important, but the bigger thing is the opportunity to create long-term growth,” Puskur said. “The global attention, sponsorship money and fan interest that a match like this brings will help us strengthen our foundation and pave the way for the future.”

Barca wins La Liga opener thanks to referee

The opening match of the 2025/26 La Liga season between Mallorca and Barca ended with an easy 3-0 victory for the defending champions after they received great favor from referee José Luis Munuera.

Lamine Yamal made his debut as number 10 with a brilliant performance. He left his mark in the first 7 minutes: he almost scored in the 2nd minute, and in the 7th minute he sent a pass that beat three defenders for Raphinha to head in the opening goal. The understanding between the duo from last season was still intact.

The game was all but over by the 23rd minute after a serious error by referee José Luis Munuera. He did not blow the whistle when Raillo was hit in the head by the ball, allowing Ferran Torres to score the second goal. The decision sparked a furious reaction, with Morlanes sent off and Muriqi shown a straight red card for a rough tackle on goalkeeper Garcia. Mallorca were reduced to nine men by the end of the first half.

In the second half, Barca took the initiative to slow down, while Mallorca tried to limit the loss. Dani Olmo, Raphinha and new signing Rashford all had chances but failed to capitalize. It was not until the extra time that Yamal ended the perfect day with the decisive goal.