V-League 2024/25 has no more undefeated teams; Man Utd lucky to draw with Everton

V-League 2024/25 no longer has any undefeated teams

Finally, Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club also suffered its first defeat of the season when it lost 0-1 at Hai Phong Stadium.

Before the return leg of the 2024/25 V-League began with round 14 on the afternoon of February 22, Ha Tinh was the only team unbeaten after the first 13 rounds. Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and his team only won 3 but drew 10, setting a record of not losing this season.

However, in the first match of the return leg, Ha Tinh received their first loss, with a score of 0-1 at Lach Tray Stadium of Hai Phong. The only goal of the match was scored in the 71st minute thanks to Huu Son.

This defeat left Ha Tinh still ranked 6th on the rankings with 19 points. Meanwhile, Hai Phong temporarily escaped with 14 points, 13 points higher than theSLNA2 points correct.

2 V.League teams may be banned from playing at home

Quy Nhon Binh Dinh and Hong Linh Ha Tinh are at risk of not being able to play at home for the rest of the 2024/25 V.League. The grass at Ha Tinh and Quy Nhon stadiums has seriously deteriorated recently.

On the afternoon of February 22, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) and the V.League Organizing Committee inspected Quy Nhon Stadium. At the time of inspection, the quality of the field surface still did not meet professional requirements (the grass on the field was uneven, many areas had very thin grass such as the midfield area, the goal areas on both sides...).

The tournament operators acknowledged Quy Nhon Binh Dinh’s efforts to improve the field’s condition. However, measures such as suspending training and competition activities on the field and increasing maintenance work on the field have not yielded results.

VPF requested that "Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club urgently overcome the shortcomings in the quality of the playing field at Quy Nhon Stadium, especially issues related to sparse and weak grass areas and the hardness and flatness of the field; continue to monitor and improve the quality of the field at Quy Nhon Stadium so that Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Club can soon return to play at home when conditions are guaranteed. In parallel with continuing to improve the quality of the field, Binh Dinh Club needs to temporarily register another qualified field as a home field for the next matches".

On February 25, VPF will re-evaluate to determine whether Binh Dinh FC can play at home or not. On February 24, VPF will inspect the quality of Ha Tinh's stadium. Currently, the Central representative has overcome the problem by buying golf course grass to cover the gaps without grass. However, if the field still does not meet the requirements, Ha Tinh will have to play home matches onVinh Stadium.

China U20 lost their ticket to the World Cup in the 95th minute.

Despite dominating and creating many opportunities, U20 China still suffered a regrettable 0-1 defeat against U20 Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the U20 Asia Championship and regretfully missed out on a ticket to the World Cup.

With home field advantage and enthusiastic support from the audience, U20 China created an overwhelming situation over U20 Saudi Arabia in the first quarter-final match.

The host team of the 2025 AFC U20 Championship dominated the players from West Asia, with many opportunities created by the red team in front of the opponent's goal. However, the lack of luck of the Chinese U20 strikers meant that there were no goals scored in the first half.

After the break, U20 China continued to increase the pressure and created a series of good opportunities. U20 China even got a penalty in the 59th minute. However, Liu Chengyu's finishing was too weak for goalkeeper Hamed Al Shanqiti to easily block.

Not long after, Liu Chengyu had another great chance from a cross from his teammate in the penalty area, but once again, this player incredibly missed.

In the remaining time, U20 China still controlled the game but could not shake the opponent's net once.

Despite many attacks but no goals, U20 China paid a heavy price in the 90+5 minute. Substitute Amar Al Yuhaybi scored the only goal, bringing victory to U20 Saudi Arabia, along with a ticket to the semi-finals of the U20 Asia.

This bitter defeat caused U20 China to miss out on a ticket to the 2025 U20 World Cup, which went to the West Asian representative.

Man Utd lucky to draw with Everton

Everton welcomes Man Utd at a time when the two teams are in completely opposite form. The Goodison Park team is maintaining an unbeaten streak with 4 wins and 1 draw. Meanwhile, Man Utd has suffered consecutive defeats and a weak performance on the field. Entering the match, the Red Devils are still playing very poorly.

After a few notable attacks, Everton soon got what they needed. In the 19th minute, after a chaotic situation in the Man Utd penalty area, Doucoure passed the ball with enough force for Beto to finish into the opponent's net to open the score for Everton. The referee carefully consulted VAR and recognized the striker's goal.

Losing early, Man Utd lost confidence and did not show many positive signs. The away team's midfielders struggled to develop the ball but were ineffective. In such a situation, Everton's counter-attacks were effective. In the 32nd minute, Jack Harrison had a dangerous shot but Onana made an excellent save. Then, Doucoure headed the ball to raise the score to 2-0 for Everton.

In the remaining minutes of the first half, Man Utd tried to create resistance but they couldn't even finish once.

In the second half, the situation did not change much for coach Ruben Amorim and his team. They still seemed to be stuck in finding a way into Pickford's goal. Meanwhile, Everton wasted many opportunities from set pieces and the home team had to pay a heavy price.

In the 72nd minute, from a direct free kick near the penalty area, Bruno Fernandes skillfully shot to reduce the score to 1-2 for Man Utd. 8 minutes later, taking advantage of Doucoure's indecisive clearance, Manuel Ugarte fired a shot near the penalty area to equalize 2-2.

In the extra time, Man Utd were lucky to escape defeat when the referee did not consider De Ligt's shirt-pulling incident with Ashley Young in the penalty area to be a foul. Man Utd drew 2-2 with Everton, remaining in 15th place on the rankings with 30 points.

Yamal makes impressive statistics

Early morning of February 23, Barcelona defeated host Las Palmas 2-0 in round 25 of La Liga.

Lamine Yamal has not scored in La Liga since scoring against Real Madrid in October 2024. However, this does not bother fans, because the young Spanish star still regularly shines in cup tournaments and plays a very important role in Barcelona's playing style.

The match against Las Palmas was no exception. Yamal played energetically on the right wing and helped Barca make the difference with an assist in the 62nd minute. Yamal used his technique to get past the defender, before passing just enough for Dani Olmo to penetrate the penalty area, before finishing past the goalkeeper.

At the age of 17, Yamal has contributed to a total of 50 goals at the highest level of football. The young star born in 2007 has 21 goals and 29 assists, including for both club and country. This is also Yamal's 12th assist in La Liga this season, the highest achievement in the tournament.

That number should have increased, as Yamal had quite a few chances in the second half against Las Palmas. However, the Euro champions were unable to take advantage of their nearly four-month goal drought in La Liga.

In the 70th minute, Yamal even chased down a pass from the home team player, before dribbling back and creating an opportunity for Robert Lewandowski. From close range, the Polish striker headed right into the goalkeeper's chosen position.

In the final minutes, Yamal was taken off. His replacement, Ferran Torres, shone with a goal in the 90+5 minute, sealing a 2-0 victory for the "Blaugrana" right on their opponent's field.

This result helps Barcelona keep the top spot with 54 points, 1 point more than Atletico Madrid and 3 points more than Real Madrid.