Vietnam U23 breaks record after 21 years; Former Milan and PSG player leads Thai League team
(Baonghean.vn) - Vietnam in the highest seed group of the AFC U23 Championship; Juventus confirms Ronaldo's injury; Euro 2020 Qualifiers results; Brazil and Argentina both win are today's interesting sports news.
U23 Vietnam breaks 21-year record
The 4-0 victory in the U23 Asian qualifiers on the evening of March 26 broke the 21-year record of Vietnamese football against Thailand at all levels.
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The biggest margin Vietnam created when facing Thailand before was a 3-0 victory in the semi-final of the 1998 Tiger Cup. Goals from Truong Viet Hoang, Nguyen Hong Son and Van Sy Hung helped Alfred Riedl's team win their first victory over the giant of Southeast Asian football at that time, since the integration in the early 1990s.
After that, Vietnam mostly suffered defeat and only defeated Thailand once more in the first leg of the 2008 AFF Cup final with a score of 2-1. However, at the U23 level, Vietnam had to wait until the M-150 friendly tournament at the end of 2017 to gain its first victory. That was also the first tournament of coach Park Hang-seo with Vietnamese football.
Vietnam in the highest seed group of the AFC U23 Championship
The defending runner-up is placed in pot one with Thailand, Uzbekistan and Qatar, at the tournament taking place in January 2020.
Grouping of 16 teams for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship finals | |||
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
Thailand | Korea | China | Syria |
Uzbekistan | Iraq | Australia | Iran |
Vietnam | Japan | Jordan | UAE |
Qatar | Chosen | Saudi Arabia | Bahrain |
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) seeded the teams based on their performance at the most recent tournament - the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship. At that time, Vietnam finished second overall after losing to Uzbekistan in the final. Thailand was automatically placed in pot one as hosts, while Qatar finished third in the 2018 tournament.
In the final round, 16 teams will be divided into four groups. Each group has four teams from four different groups. Vietnam may fall into an easier group, with North Korea, China and Bahrain. But in the worst case, Park Hang-seo and his team may have to face South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran in the group stage.
The quality of the tournament has increased rapidly since it was first held in 2013. The proof is that there are 13 teams retaining the right to participate in the final round compared to 2018. The three new teams are UAE, Iran and Bahrain, replacing Malaysia, Oman and Palestine. The draw for the group stage is expected to take place in October 2019.
Italy destroys Liechtenstein
The highlight of the Euro 2020 qualifiers this morning was the unequal match between Italy and Liechtenstein in Group J. At home, coach Roberto Mancini's team easily crushed their opponents with a score of 6-0.
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In the first half, Italy had a 4-goal lead thanks to a double from Quagliarella and 2 goals from Sensi and Verratti. In the second half, Italy had 2 more goals thanks to Kean and Pavoletti to close out the 6-0 victory. With the goal to increase the score to 3-0 from the 11m mark, Quagliarella made history by becoming the oldest player (36 years and 54 days) to score for the Italian national team.
EURO 2020 qualifying results
Malta 0-2 Spain
Romania 4-1 Faroe Islands
Italy 6-0 Lichtenstein
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-2 Greece
Switzerland 3-3 Denmark
Norway 3-3 Sweden
Ireland 1-0 Georgia
Also in Group J, Greece picked up a point in a 2-2 draw with Bosnia while Finland beat Armenia 2-0. The result put Italy top of the group with six points after two wins.
Brazil and Argentina both win
In a friendly match this morning, Brazil defeated the Czech Republic 3-1 thanks to a goal from Firmino and a brace from Gabriel Jesus after falling behind to a goal from David Pavelka. Similarly, Argentina also won but narrowly with a score of 1-0 against Morocco in the match without Messi (injured).
Former Milan and PSG assassin to lead Thai League team
Two-time Champions League winner Marco Simone has been officially appointed head coach of Thai League side Ratchaburi Mitr Phol.
Currently ranked 13th/16 in Thailand's top league, with only 3 points won during the past time, the board of directors has decided to fire coach Francesc Down'Asis Bosch.
The 30-year-old will be replaced by Marco Simone, the former AC Milan player who coached Ligue 1 side Monaco in the 2011-12 season and has also coached clubs in France and Switzerland.
As a player, Marco Simone played as a striker and made over 250 appearances for Italian giants AC Milan. He scored over 70 goals in the 90s and won 4 Scudetto titles, 2 Champions Leagues and 8 other major and minor titles.
Marco Simone has also played for two Ligue 1 clubs, Monaco and PSG. On March 31, Simone will have his first match with Ratchaburi when he faces Muangthong United, the team of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, in the Thai League.
Juventus confirm Ronaldo's injury status
In the 31st minute of the match between Portugal and Serbia in the EURO 2020 qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to leave the field. The 34-year-old striker suffered pain in his right thigh after trying to chase the ball. Immediately after that, Ronaldo was taken to a hospital in Portugal for a thorough examination. In the latest announcement, his club Juventus confirmed: "Ronaldo was examined at a hospital in Portugal and found to have a problem in his right thigh. Ronaldo will be closely monitored and undergo further tests to determine when he can return."
Ronaldo previously told Goal that he knows his body and will definitely be back on the pitch within a few weeks. For now, Ronaldo will miss the Serie A match against Empoli this weekend. The possibility of Ronaldo recovering in time for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Ajax on April 10 is still open.
