U23 Vietnam encouraged before match against Croatia; Salah helps Egypt get closer to World Cup
(Baonghean.vn) - Salah contributed to the only goal, helping Egypt beat Sadio Mane's Senegal 1-0 in the first leg of the 2022 World Cup play-off; Before the second match against U23 Croatia in the 2022 Dubai Cup, U23 Vietnam received great encouragement...
Salah helps Egypt get closer to World Cup
Egypt lost to Senegal in the penalty shootout of the 2022 CAN final less than two months ago. Therefore, Salah and his teammates are determined to take revenge when they host their opponents in Cairo. Right after the opening whistle, Egypt took the initiative to attack and quickly opened the score thanks to a somewhat lucky move.
 |
| Salah celebrates after helping Egypt open the scoring. Photo: AFP |
From Amr Al-Sulaya's cross into the box, the Senegal defenders were stopped by Mostafa Mohamed's leap. Salah quietly moved behind the opposition defence to receive the ball. The Liverpool striker's shot, with his back to goal, hit Edouard Mendy's hand and hit the crossbar. However, the ball bounced off Saliou Ciss and went into the net.
No more goals were scored in the remaining time. Egypt and Senegal played a match that was evenly matched, similar to the CAN final not long ago. Egypt was the only host team to win the first leg of the 2022 World Cup African zone play-off. In another match, Cameroon lost 0-1 to Algeria thanks to a goal from striker Islam Slimani while Mali got the same result against Tunisia thanks to an own goal from Moussa Sissako. Ghana - Nigeria drew 0-0 while the Republic of Congo drew 1-1 with Morocco.
The two teams will play the second leg on March 29, at Me Abdoulaye Wade Stadium.
U23 Vietnam encouraged before match against Croatia
Before heading to the next match at the Dubai Cup on March 26 against U23 Croatia, the team will have a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE. In the warm and intimate atmosphere of the meeting, First Secretary Nguyen Van Tuan, on behalf of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE, wished the team good health, good performance and a successful training trip to prepare for the 31st SEA Games at home. At the same time, he emphasized that the presence of the U23 Vietnam team here once again brought positivity and excitement to the Vietnamese people living and working in Dubai.
 |
| Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE visited and encouraged the U23 Vietnam team. Photo: VFF |
On the afternoon of March 23, U23 Vietnam had a good start to the Dubai Cup 2022 when they held U23 Iraq to a 0-0 draw. Against an opponent considered to be of a higher level, coach Lee Young Jin's team played solidly in defense. However, in terms of attack, U23 Vietnam still has a lot to improve.
Japan lost two key players in the match against Vietnam
The Japanese national team suffered two minor losses after officially qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to Japanese media, Itakura and Endo will leave the team to return to Germany for injury checks. Both started in the 2-0 win over Australia on March 24.
Itakura was born in 1997 and is playing for Schalke 04. Endo was born in 1993 and is in his second season at Stuttgart. Endo has been playing in the Bundesliga since the 2019/20 season, while Itakura recently moved from Groningen in Belgium.
 |
| Wataru Endo (number 6) is the key player in the midfield of the Japanese team. Photo: AFP |
Japan will now compete for the top spot in Group B of the 2022 World Cup qualifying round with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia will host Australia at home. Australia has already qualified for the intercontinental play-off round after finishing third in Vietnam's group.
