An unprecedented event has occurred in V-League history: Coach Mourinho's pupil refuses to play for the Indonesian national team.
Buriram United won 3-1 against BG Pathum United; For the first time in history, a foreign referee will be in charge of the VAR room in the V-League... These are the prominent sports news stories of the past 24 hours.
Thai players are scoring goals left and right, giving Buriram a strong chance of reaching the Southeast Asian Champions League final.
Buriram United secured a 3-1 victory against BG Pathum United, giving them a significant advantage ahead of the second leg of the ASEAN Club Cup (Shopee Cup) semi-final on the evening of April 2nd.
The 3-1 victory gives Buriram United a significant advantage going into the second leg at BG Pathum United's home ground. The second leg is scheduled for April 30th, where BG Pathum United will need to put in their best effort to overturn the deficit and secure a place in the final.
Something unprecedented in V-League history has emerged.
For the first time in history, a foreign referee will be in charge of the VAR room in the V-League.
According to the latest information, the match between Hanoi FC and Thanh Hoa in Round 17 of the V-League 2024-2025 will feature two Malaysian referees.
The two FIFA referees hired are Mohamad Kamil Zakaria Bin Ismail and Razlan Joffri Bin Ali. One will officiate the match, while the other will be in the VAR room. The specific assignments will be finalized by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Referee Committee before the match.
Currently, the organizing committee, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF), has 4 VAR vehicles, enabling the technology to be applied in at least 6 matches per round starting from the 2024-2025 season.
Mourinho's players refused to wear the Indonesian national team jersey.
Defender Jayden Oosterwolde recently revealed that he received an offer from the Indonesian national team but flatly refused it in order to pursue his dream of playing for the Netherlands national team.
The player, born in 2001, is currently playing for Fenerbahce under coach Jose Mourinho. He has Dutch, Indonesian, and Surinamese ancestry.
Defender Oosterwolde revealed: “Both the Indonesian and Suriname national teams contacted me. On one occasion, the Indonesian assistant coach even messaged me directly to persuade me to join.”
"However, playing for Indonesia or Suriname is not part of my plan. I don't want to discuss that; my dream is to play for the Netherlands national team," Oosterwolde affirmed.
Notably, Oosterwolde is a close friend of the brothers Tijjani and Eliano Reijnders. Tijjani is currently a Dutch national team player, while Eliano has become an Indonesian citizen and plays for the Indonesian national team.
Barcelona will face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final after 11 years.
In the early hours of April 3rd, Yamal helped Barca defeat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, after a 4-4 draw in the first leg.
Barcelona continues to assert its position as the number one team in Copa del Rey history with its 43rd appearance in the final. The number of titles won by the Catalan team is also overwhelmingly superior (31 times).
Meanwhile, the "Rojiblancos" are almost certain to have a trophyless season, having been eliminated from the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. In La Liga, they are currently 9 points behind Barca.
Hansi Flick's team will face Real Madrid in the final. This marks the first time in 11 years that the two La Liga giants will meet again in the Copa del Rey final. The decisive match will take place on April 26th in Seville.
In stark contrast to their spectacular first-leg performance, Atletico Madrid were completely outplayed when they returned to their home ground. In the first half, Diego Simeone's team only had 31% possession and allowed Barcelona to freely fire 10 shots at their goal.
Lamine Yamal constantly disrupted the home team's right flank before making a significant impact with a through pass that tore apart Atletico's defense, setting up Ferran Torres to score the opening goal in the 25th minute. That was also the final score of the match.
