2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Germany escapes crisis, De Bruyne scores twice to help Belgium crush opponents; Tien Linh scores, Vietnam team wins CAHN

De Bruyne shines

In the early morning of September 8, at home at Lotto Park, De Bruyne scored a double plus 1 assist, helping Belgium crush a weaker opponent to continue the race for a ticket to the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico next year.

In fact, Belgium struggled early on as Kazakhstan defended resolutely for much of the first half. However, De Bruyne's goal in the 42nd minute changed the game. Shortly before the break, Belgium doubled their lead when the former Man City star set up Jeremy Doku for a decisive finish to put the home team 2-0 up.

Belgium continued to dominate in the second half. In the 51st minute, Nicolas Raskin scored a goal to make it 3-0. In the 60th minute, Doku completed his double by sprinting past the Kazakhstan defense, before shooting diagonally from a tight angle.

In the 84th minute, De Bruyne scored Belgium's fifth goal after a pass from Alexis Saelemaekers. Just three minutes later, defender Thomas Meunier sealed the 6-0 victory with a decisive shot.

With 10 points after 4 matches, Belgium is still only ranked 2nd in Group J after North Macedonia (11 points after 5 matches), but De Bruyne and his teammates still have an advantage in the race for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Germany escapes crisis

Early morning of September 8, at home stadium RheinEnergieStadion, Germany won 3-1 against Northern Ireland in the second match of Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

After a disappointing 0-2 defeat to Slovakia, Germany entered the match against Northern Ireland under great pressure. Therefore, coach Julian Nagelsmann made 5 changes to the starting lineup compared to the match against Slovakia.

Germany started the match with great determination and scored an early goal in the 7th minute, when Serge Gnabry scored with a delicate lob. However, after the opening goal, Germany played with little energy. Apart from a few individual breakthroughs, the home team did not create many threats.

Northern Ireland applied a high pressing style of play, and looked for opportunities from set pieces. In the 34th minute, from a corner kick, Northern Ireland equalized 1-1. This was also the first shot on target of the away team in the match.

Around the 40th minute, boos were heard from the stands as Germany only circulated the ball in their own half without being able to overwhelm their opponents. After the break, Germany showed a different side thanks to the appearance of substitutes such as Maximilian Beier, Nadiem Amiri and Leon Goretzka.

In the 69th minute, Amiri easily shot into an empty net after a clumsy tackle by goalkeeper Peacock-Farrell. Germany's 3-1 victory came in the 72nd minute, when Florian Wirtz scored a beautiful free kick against Northern Ireland.

The win temporarily eased the pressure on Germany, but an unconvincing first-half performance showed they still have many problems to solve.

Carlos Alcaraz breaks prize money record

In the final match of the US Open 2025 in the early morning of September 8, the Spanish tennis player not only defeated Jannik Sinner to win the championship, but also brought home a record bonus in history: 4.29 million euros.

On the other side of the grid, Sinner - who finished second - received 2.13 million euros and 1,300 points in the Race 2025. A significant number, but clearly not enough to ease the disappointment of missing out on the biggest opportunity of the season.

The 2025 season has seen Alcaraz almost “go it alone”. To date, he has pocketed 13.88 million euros in prize money, leading the entire ATP system. Meanwhile, Sinner, despite only playing 7 tournaments due to his suspension, still managed to earn more than 10.35 million euros, showing the Italian player’s mettle.

Not only winning on the field, Alcaraz is also the "king" of income off the field. According toForbes, he held the number one position on the list of richest tennis players for 2 consecutive years, with total income48.3 million USDin the past 12 months. Notably, to35 million USDfrom sponsorship and advertising contracts - a clear demonstration of the 22-year-old star's commercial appeal.

With his explosive playing style, unyielding fighting spirit and ever-improving image, Alcaraz is entering the most brilliant period of his career. The US Open championship and record prize money are just the beginning of his ambition to become a new icon of world tennis - someone who can both inherit and create a completely separate era.

Tien Linh scores, Vietnam team wins CAHN

Striker Nguyen Tien Linh contributed a goal in the 4-3 victory of the Vietnam team against CAHN in a friendly match that took place on the evening of September 7.

In his second stint in charge after being temporarily assigned, acting coach Dinh Hong Vinh continued to field a competitive squad. The 11 starting players included goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan, the four defenders Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Phan Tai and Xuan Manh. In midfield, Duc Chien, Hoang Duc, Quang Vinh and Ngoc Quang coordinated to support the striker duo Tien Linh - Tuan Hai.

On the other side of the front line, coach Mano Polking also did not hide his intention to test the pillars of CAHN. He arranged Filip Nguyen in goal, with the defense consisting of Dinh Trong, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Giap Tuan Duong and Nguyen Van Duc. The midfield had Thanh Long, Van Toan, Van Do and Quang Hai, while the pair Duc Nam - Phan Van Duc were expected to make a difference in attack.

Right from the first minutes, the Vietnamese team showed their initiative and efficiency. Tien Linh opened the score with a decisive shot, before Tuan Hai increased the gap to 2-0. CAHN did not give up and managed to shorten the score to 1-2 thanks to Duc Nam's goal at the end of the first half.

In the second half, the substitution scenario was similar to the previous match against Nam Dinh. Acting coach Dinh Hong Vinh withdrew almost the entire starting lineup, keeping only Chau Ngoc Quang on the field to give opportunities to many new faces. Meanwhile, coach Polking gave the opportunity to young goalkeeper Trinh Dinh Minh Hoang to try his hand at goal.

The personnel changes made the match more exciting. The Vietnamese team scored two more goals thanks to Viet Hung and Van Vi, raising the score to 4-1. However, CAHN showed their mettle when Van Toan and Van Do scored consecutively, reducing the gap to only 3-4. In the end, the Vietnamese team won a close 4-3 victory./.