Vietnam team received very good news from FIFA before the match against Myanmar; Kroos received the award for the best player in the world in 2024
Vietnam team got 3.68 points, increased 2 ranks from 116 to 114 in the world; Toni Kroos was honored as the Best Player by the Italian newspaper... Those are the outstanding sports news in the past 24 hours.
Vietnam team received very good news from FIFA before the match against Myanmar
The World Football Federation (FIFA) has just announced the rankings of national teams in the last month of 2024.
Most recently,FIFA has officially recognized the ASEAN Cup (AFF Cup)is an official friendly tournament with international matches of category A and direct points on the FIFA rankings for the national team. However, it does not take place during FIFA Days so the points added are quite small.
Accordingly, with two victories against Laos and Indonesia in the group stage, the Vietnamese team was awarded 3.68 points, moving up 2 places from 116 to 114 in the world. Along with that, the team ranked above, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, dropped one place.
Notably, with a 2-rank increase, the "Golden Star Warriors" are also the strongest growing football team in the world in December.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team still have matches at the ASEAN Cup, against Myanmar (December 21), so they can still accumulate more points.
Myanmar received sad news, Vietnam team also faced difficulties
Before the match against Vietnam, Myanmar did not have the service of their main striker. However, Vietnam also had difficulty traveling back home.
Myanmar had a narrow victory over Laos. Despite being rated higher, Myanmar was at one point behind. Two goals in the final minutes of the match helped them come back to win 3-2 and keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the ASEAN Cup 2024 alive.
However, Myanmar suffered a major loss of force before the final match of the group stage against the Vietnamese team. Specifically, in the recent match against Laos, Maung Maung Lwin received two yellow cards in the group stage and had to sit out the away match at Viet Tri Stadium. The first yellow card this player received was in the opening match against Indonesia.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team did not have much luck in this final match. The Vietnamese team will only have 1 day to practice and rest before the match with Myanmar after returning home due to flight problems, having to stay in Manila for another day. The team will not leave for home until the night of December 19 and will arrive in Hanoi at dawn on December 20, with an estimated time of 1:40 am.
However, the Vietnamese team still has home field advantage and has the addition of naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son.
Kroos received the award for World Player of the Year 2024
Former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has been named Player of the Year by Italian newspaper Tuttosport.
Kroos beat off strong contenders like Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Rodri to win the award. The German star had a brilliant 2023/24 season with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga and Champions League double.
In his final season with Real Madrid, Kroos played 48 games in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing 10 assists. He also contributed an important assist in the Champions League final, helping Real Madrid win the title.
On his personal Instagram page, Kroos expressed his joy and gratitude when receiving this award. He wrote: "I promise not to show off the title anymore but I still want to thank Tuttosport and the jury of former world-class players who voted for me. Awards and titles do not come naturally. They are all the result of hard work."
Son Heung-min sent MU out of the Carabao Cup with a superb goal from a corner kick
In the early morning of December 20, Son Heung-min scored a super goal in the 88th minute to help Tottenham defeat MU 4-3 in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Despite playing away against Tottenham, MU still played impressively, despite not having their strongest lineup. The "Red Devils" circulated the ball well on both wings but lacked precision in decisive moves.
The two teams traded blows throughout the match, with the drama intensifying towards the end of the match. In the 88th minute, Son Heung-min took a corner kick and sent the ball straight into the visitors' net, raising the score to 4-2 for the "Roosters".
Despite being two goals down, MU still did not give up. In the 90+5 minute, the away team reduced the score to 3-4, after a precise aerial strike by Jonny Evans. The remaining time was not enough for the away team to create a surprise.
Tottenham have beaten MU and Man City in all four encounters since the start of the season (2 in the Premier League, 2 in the Carabao Cup). More importantly, the North London team is one step closer to winning their first title since 2008.
