Hot football news noon 13/6: Bac Ninh makes history, World Cup 2026 continually sees incredible milestones

Bac Ninh made history by earning their first-ever V-League berth following a nail-biting win against PVF-CAND, as the 2026 World Cup intensified with Hwang In-beom's verbal challenge to Mexico, a VAR decision unlike any before confusing fans worldwide, and a record that saw Christian Pulisic overtake Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bac Ninh writes history

The playoff for the V-League 2026/27 spot was breathtaking until the final seconds as Bac Ninh beat PVF-CAND on penalties to qualify for the first time in history for the highest tier of Vietnamese football.

"The team from Kinh Bac" took an early lead in the first half thanks to a penalty goal by Bruno Cunha. However, PVF-CAND did not give in easily as Hoang Vu Samson headed the equalizer 1-1 in the 55th minute, dragging the match into a tense deadlock. After 90 minutes with no winner, the two sides had to decide the outcome via a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. There, Bac Ninh showed superior composure to win 5-4 after seven rounds, thereby officially securing the promotion ticket to V-League and concluding the season with a memorable historic milestone.

Hwang In-beom sends "war letter" to Mexico

After a brilliant performance that helped South Korea come from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, Hwang In-beom immediately shifted his focus to the major clash with host nation Mexico. The midfielder born in 1996 scored the equalizer before assisting Oh Hyeon-gyu to complete the comeback, thus becoming the hero of the South Korean team.

Notably, Mexico also started smoothly with a 2-0 win over South Africa, making the upcoming encounter be described as an "early final" of Group A. In-beom acknowledged that Mexico has many quality players and a huge home advantage, but also stated that South Korea has enough strength to compete. With the top spot in the group and a favorable knockout-stage ticket on the line, the showdown between Mexico and South Korea promises to be the highlight of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup.

Global fans bewildered by the referee's decision

Although the US national team easily defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the focus was on an unprecedented VAR decision in tournament history. The incident occurred when Miguel Almiron fell during a challenge with Tim Ream, resulting in the American defender receiving a yellow card. However, VAR unexpectedly called for the referee to review, and everything was completely reversed: Ream's card was canceled, while Almiron was penalized for diving.

This moment instantly went viral on social media X. Many confused fans commented: "What the hell is going on?", while others admitted they had never seen VAR intervene in such a way. According to FIFA, this was the first time the "wrong player identification" rule was applied at a World Cup, creating one of the most bizarre and talked-about moments since the start of the tournament.

Pulisic surpasses Ronaldo

The US national team's 4-1 victory over Paraguay not only impressed with the host's explosive performance but also saw Christian Pulisic set a memorable World Cup milestone. With an assist for Folarin Balogun's goal, the AC Milan star raised his total World Cup assists to 3, thereby surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 2 assists.

Although Balogun scored a brace and became the center of attention on the scoreboard, Pulisic was the soul of the US attack. His intelligent movements, ability to connect lines, and game-changing plays constantly unsettled the Paraguayan defense. The milestone surpassing Ronaldo is not only statistically meaningful but also proof of Pulisic's growing influence for the US national team on the World Cup stage.

MU awaits "change" at Newcastle

MU is closely monitoring the situation of Lewis Hall after the young defender was unexpectedly omitted from England's squad for the 2026 World Cup. According to English media, coach Thomas Tuchel's decision sparked rumors of a rift between Hall and Newcastle coach Eddie Howe, stemming from the 21-year-old having to play out of position in the final part of the season.

Although Newcastle quickly denied any information about the rift, the Red Devils have not taken their eyes off developments at St James' Park. Hall is seen as an ideal long-term successor for Luke Shaw and is among MU's priority targets for the left-back position. However, this deal is predicted to be difficult as Newcastle wants to keep the young star with a new contract, and will only consider negotiations if they receive a sufficiently significant offer.