Vietnam contributes 2/6 best matches in the group stage of Asian Cup 2023; Barca coach announces resignation
(Baonghean.vn) - Bayern Munich quietly introduced a new 30 million Euro player; Top 6 best matches of the 2023 Asian Cup group stage: Vietnam participated in 2 matches; Barca lost the match, coach Xavi Hernandez announced his resignation... are notable sports news in the past 24 hours.
Bayern Munich quietly launches new 30 million Euro player
Bayern Munich has just officially announced that they have successfully recruited Sacha Boey. The new player of the Gray Tigers has French nationality and will sign a 4.5 year contract with the number 1 club in Germany. Boey, whose position is right-back, will receive the number 23 shirt at the new club.
Boey's previous club Galatasaray has also announced this deal. According to the Turkish team, the price of the 23-year-old defender is 30 million Euros. In addition, Bayern Munich can also pay Gala an additional 5 million Euros depending on Boey's performance with the German team.
According to the agreements signed by the two parties that have been revealed, Bayern need to pay an undisclosed percentage of the contract value to Galatasaray if Boey is sold in the future. In addition, Bayern will have to play two friendly matches with Galatasaray and the Turkish team will receive 50% of the profits from these two matches.
Before agreeing to spend 30 million Euros to buy Boey and giving in to many favorable terms for the Turkish partner, Bayern Munich tried to force the price down to 15 million Euros in the first offer. Because Galatasaray was determined not to sell, the Gray Tigers had to increase the price by another 15 million Euros (50% compared to the original offer) to buy Boey according to coach Tuchel's request.
Boey is Bayern Munich's second new signing in the winter transfer window this year. Before the former Rennes player, the German team recruited versatile player Eric Dier for 4 million Euros from Tottenham.
Coach Zidane has the opportunity to lead Liverpool
Since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, coach Zidane has not been able to find a suitable destination despite being interested by many big teams in Europe.
According to a source from the BBC (UK), coach Zidane is one of the candidates that Liverpool is specifically targeting to replace coach Klopp, who will leave after the 2023/2024 season ends.
Besides coach Zidane, Alonso, who is playing very well with Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, is also another notable face that Liverpool is interested in.
Top 6 best matches of the 2023 Asian Cup group stage: Vietnam participated in 2 matches
Vietnam teamended the group stage with the worst results in the history of the Asian Cup. Coach Troussier's team lost all 3 matches and was even eliminated early after only the first 2 matches. However, 2 out of 3 matches of the Vietnamese team were in the top 6 best matches of the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup.
In an article on its homepage, AFC described the Vietnamese team as having made the top championship candidate - Japan - "absolutely terrified in the opening match of Group D".
In this match, Takumi Minamino put Samurai Blue ahead in the 11th minute but Vietnam scored two goals in a row after that thanks to Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Tuan Hai. The Japanese team woke up at the end of the first half with two beautiful goals from Minamino and Keito Nakamura before sealing a 4-2 victory at the end of the second half.
Meanwhile, the “internal Southeast Asian” match between Vietnam and Indonesia was voted for thanks to the opponent’s ability to surprise. The shocking 1-0 victory helped Indonesia slip through the narrow door to enter the Asian Cup knockout round for the first time in history.
The remaining matches include Saudi Arabia beating Oman 2-1, Iraq beating Japan 2-1, Tajikistan beating Lebanon 2-1 and Malaysia drawing South Korea 3-3.
On the AFC voting portal, the 3-3 draw between Malaysia and South Korea is leading with an overwhelming number of votes, up to 78%. The match between Vietnam and Indonesia, 0-1, is ranked second with 21%.
Barca lost the match, coach Xavi Hernandez announced his resignation
In the early morning of January 28 (Vietnam time), Barca lost 3-5 to Villarreal in round 22 of La Liga 2023-2024. This defeat temporarily ranked Barca 3rd on the rankings, 10 points behind the top team Real Madrid. Speaking after the match, coach Xavi Hernandez said: "If I think with my head and think about Barca, the best solution is for me to leave on June 30."
The 44-year-old coach explained: "I think this decision will help free the team's mood and the situation here. I don't make decisions based on money, my contract will never be a problem. I just make choices based on my heart. I don't need anything more from Barca."
Xavi Hernandez is one of the “legends” of Spanish football and Barca. After retiring, he became the head coach of Al Sadd Club (Qatar), before accepting to lead Barca from 2021. Under the reign of Xavi Hernandez, Barca had a “revolution” of rejuvenation, winning the 2022-2023 La Liga championship. However, poor performance in the Champions League and recent poor form have caused Barca and coach Xavi Hernandez to be heavily criticized.
Barca has not officially announced the replacement for coach Xavi Hernandez. According to the Spanish press, Rafael Marquez, head coach of Barca Atletic (Barca reserve) is likely to be chosen to take the "hot seat" at the Nou Camp.
