U22 Vietnam missed the chance to compete at Panda Cup 2023; Indonesian fans happy after Messi's commitment

U22 Vietnam lost the opportunity to compete at Panda Cup 2023

The U22 International Football Tournament - Panda Cup 2023 is scheduled to take place from June 14 to 18 in Chengdu. According to the expected match schedule announced by CFA, the U22 Vietnam team will meet U22 Uzbekistan, U22 Bahrain and U22 China respectively.

However, CFA recently sent a notice to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) that the Panda Cup 2023 cannot take place in June. The reason is that the tournament's holding time coincides with the time when the host stadium is undergoing maintenance and repair work. CFA said that this youth tournament will be moved to another suitable time based on the remaining FIFA Days schedule of 2023.

Coach Philippe Troussier and U22 Vietnam had to change their plans accordingly after the Panda Cup 2023 was postponed. Photo: NK

Although the Panda Cup 2023 has been postponed, coach Philippe Troussier will still maintain the training schedule of the U22 team and the Vietnam team during the FIFA Days in June. The French coach and his assistants will continue to check and evaluate the strength of the U22 Vietnam team after the 32nd SEA Games to prepare for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers in September.

Indonesian fans are overjoyed after Messi's commitment

According to El Destape, Messi has informed the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) and coach Lionel Scaloni that he is ready to join the team on the Asian tour next June.

This news has made fans in Indonesia very happy. Messi will definitely be present in the upcoming Asian tour of the Argentina team. He will play with the Argentina team in two friendly matches against the Australian team in China on June 15, then the match against the Indonesian team in Jakarta on June 19.

Messi (center) will definitely be present in the Argentina team in the Asian tour next June. Photo: AFP

Indonesian fans have been very nervous in recent days about the possibility of Messi coming to Jakarta to play or not, because there has been a lot of information revealed that this superstar may not join the Argentina team to solve his transfer problems. However, Messi has committed to playing for the Argentina team, whenever coach Lionel Scaloni calls him, he is ready to return to wear the "La Albiceleste" shirt.

Messi's presence in the Asian tour with the Argentina team, especially in Indonesia, will create a huge fever because the people of the archipelago country have always been passionate fans of this superstar.

Referees in V-League 2023 continue to cause controversy

Carlos Fernandez's 2-1 penalty goal helped Hai Phong defeat Khanh Hoa but left controversy in round 9 of V-League 2023. Accordingly, in the 67th minute, Joseph Mpande dribbled the ball from the left wing into the penalty area and then fell backwards, colliding with Nguyen Minh Huy. Referee Nguyen Viet Duan immediately pointed to the penalty spot before the reaction of Khanh Hoa players.

Reviewing the slow-motion video, the situation may not have resulted in a penalty as Minh Huy cleared the ball before clipping Joseph Mpande's leg. However, the penalty decision remained unchanged and Carlos Fernandez finished accurately to score the second goal for Hai Phong.

The match at Lach Tray Stadium took place on the evening of May 26, in round 9 of V-League 2023. Hai Phong opened the score in the 13th minute with a header from captain midfielder Hai Huy from a favorable cross from the right wing by Joseph Mpande. Despite being behind and playing away, coach Vo Dinh Tan's players still followed the defensive counter-attacking tactic and created a tense match with the home team. In the 56th minute, from a free kick on the left, Jairo Filho waited at the far post and rushed in to score a close-range goal for Khanh Hoa.

Carlos Fernandez (left) and Hai Huy (right) helped Hai Phong defeat Khanh Hoa 2-1 in round 9 of V-League 2023. Photo: Nghia Hung

This result helped Hai Phong break their 6-match winless streak, gaining 11 points to rise to 7th place. Khanh Hoa had their 6-match unbeaten streak broken and dropped to 10th place with 10 points.

The same thing happened in the match between Hanoi Police and Song Lam Nghe An at the same time. The referee did not recognize a valid goal of Song Lam Nghe An.