Hot Vietnamese football news today 16/8: Vietnam national team overcomes difficulties; The Cong Viettel targets Brazilian striker

Vietnam football hot news today 16/8: Vietnam national team conquers obstacles; The Cong Viettel aims for Brazilian striker

Vietnam national team overcomes difficulties

The Vietnam national team had a training session to familiarize themselves with Kuala Lumpur Stadium on the afternoon of August 15, ahead of the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final against hosts Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur Stadium still uses ginger grass, a type of surface that is thicker and harder than soft, flat needle grass. Coach Kim Sang Sik arrived about 30 minutes before training to walk around the field, personally checking the grass quality and playing conditions.

According to the organizers' schedule, Vietnam trained at 5:00 PM in hot conditions, while Malaysia trained at 6:30 PM. Not wanting to waste time familiarizing themselves with the pitch, the Vietnamese players arrived early, changed clothes, and warmed up on the sidelines before starting the session.

Vietnam has 25 fully fit players. Defender Van Vi can wear normal training shoes after a period with a foot abrasion that kept him sidelined.

In the press conference, striker Xuan Son admitted he does not like playing on this type of grass but affirmed that it is not an obstacle as he has experienced similar conditions at Go Dau and Pleiku stadiums. The first leg takes place at 8:00 PM on August 16 Vietnam time.

The Cong Viettel targets Brazilian striker

The Cong Viettel club is reportedly interested in Brazilian striker Junior Brandao to strengthen their attack ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Junior Brandao was born in 1995, stands 1.87m tall. Last season, the striker played for Madura United in the Indonesian league, making 14 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

Throughout his career, Brandao has played in several leagues such as Brazil, Hungary, Iran, and Portugal. He also has experience competing in the UEFA Europa League with Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria.

With a good physique, international experience, and the ability to operate independently upfront, Junior Brandao is seen as a suitable option for The Cong Viettel to improve squad quality.

If the deal succeeds, the Brazilian striker could become a notable addition for the army-backed club in their quest to conquer the AFC Champions League Two 2026/27.

Malaysia team suffers manpower shortage

The Malaysian national team faces a personnel crisis before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final against Vietnam, taking place on the evening of August 16 at Kuala Lumpur Stadium.

In the afternoon training session on August 15, the hosts had only 16 players fit enough for normal training, along with three goalkeepers. Three other players had to train separately outside the field due to injuries.

One of them is midfielder Endrick, who previously played for Cong An TP.HCM in the V-League. He had his left knee heavily bandaged and could only jog lightly around the pitch during the familiarization session.

Besides Endrick, Malaysia has lost Jimmy Raymond, Fazrul Amir, and Aliff Haiqal for the tournament due to injuries. Engku Nur Shakir and Mohamadou Sumareh are not at their best fitness, while midfielder Wan Kuzain had to return to the US after being recalled by his club Sporting Jax.

Coach Tan Cheng Hoe still had his players practice tactics with two lineups, even pulling the goals to the midfield area. Veteran naturalized Brazilian-born Paulo Josue, 37, continues to be considered Malaysia's most dangerous attacking threat.

Quang Ngai wins big, Gia Bao Hai Phong scores 10 goals at U9 tournament

The National U9 Football Tournament Toyota Cup 2026 continued its exciting action on August 15 at the Indoor Stadium of IEC International Education City Inter-level School, Quang Ngai City.

In the day's matches, Gia Bao Hai Phong recorded the biggest win by defeating Lam Dong Football Federation 10-0. Quang Ngai also made good use of home advantage to beat Hanoi Football Federation 5-1.

TA TP.HCM had an impressive performance, winning 5-0 against Sao Viet Gia Lai. Meanwhile, T&T Nghe An secured a 3-0 victory over Viet Hung Thanh Hoa.

The match between HVL Son La and Tien Dat Ngoc Hung ended in a 1-1 draw. In the other fixture, Luxury Ha Long drew 0-0 with VES TP.HCM.

Earlier, on August 14, many teams also had favorable starts, such as H.Y.S Hanoi beating Tuyen Quang 4-1, SLNA overcoming HCMC Football Federation 6-2, Nam Viet defeating LPBank HAGL 4-0, and Hanoi Football Club beating Thanh Nien HCMC 4-0.