China News Service, Beijing, March 12th: Compared with losing to South Korea, Chinese football has found something more important in the Asian Youth Championship
Reporter Bian Liqun
In the quarter-finals of the U20 Asian Cup that ended on the evening of the 12th, Beijing time, the Chinese team fought hard in overtime and lost 1:3 to the South Korean team. There is only one step left.
Although it is a little regrettable, for this U20 national football team, it has created enough surprises and has done its best.
Compared with regrets, the Chinese team has gained much more in this U20 Asian Cup.
For Chinese football, it also illuminates the way to continue to catch up.
The Chinese team celebrates a goal.
Image source: Visual China
game progress
In this game, the Chinese team's scramble and physical confrontation were still very proactive, which disrupted the rhythm of the South Korean team.
In the 20th minute, the South Korean team completed a header through a corner kick.
After that, the South Korean team gradually adapted to the rhythm. In the 25th minute, Park Changyou of the South Korean team cut a strong shot from the side, which was confiscated by goalkeeper Li Hao.
In the 38th minute, the South Korean team made a pass from the left, and Cheng Zhenrong shot from close range in the penalty area, but was rushed by the Chinese goalkeeper Li Hao.
The Chinese team fought aggressively in the game.
Image source: Visual China
Changing sides to fight again, in the 47th minute, the goalkeeper of the South Korean team was cut off by the Chinese team. After launching a counterattack on the spot, Muta Lifu broke into the penalty area and scored from a small angle!
The Chinese team leads South Korea 1:0!
In the 61st minute, Yang Minjie of the Chinese team accidentally handballed in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick.
Jin Longhe made a penalty.
The Chinese team 1:1 the South Korean team.
In the end, the score was maintained until the end of regular time, and the game entered overtime.
In the 97th minute, Li Yongjun of the South Korean team scored a header from close range, and Li Hao, the goalkeeper of the Chinese team, made another wonderful save.
However, under the exhaustion of physical fitness, the Chinese team finally failed to withstand the opponent's attack.
In the 100th minute, Cheng Rongzhen turned around and shot after receiving a long pass in the penalty area, and the South Korean team overtook the score 2:1.
In the 105th minute, Cui Xixuan extended the score with a header, and the Chinese team 1:3 the South Korean team.
Eiffelding breaks through with the ball.
Image source: Visual China
There are far more gains than regrets
From the 1:2 loss to the powerful Japanese U20 in the first match of the group stage, to the 2:0 victory over the stronger Saudi Arabia, and then to the 1:1 draw with Kyrgyzstan in the final round of the group stage, it was the first time in 9 years for the Asian Youth League. After qualifying, the Chinese team has created enough surprises along the way.
And the surprise is not only the result, but also the process.
The Chinese team celebrated qualifying for the Asian Youth Championship.
Image source: Visual China.
Although the scene was a bit passive under the tactic of "putting the bus", when facing the Japanese team, the Chinese team found a way to contend to a certain extent and scored the first goal. Suspected of offside and handball.
Including the subsequent faces against Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, the boys of the Chinese team can also withstand critical moments and seize counterattack opportunities well.
This campaign is against South Korea, which is still stronger than itself. The Chinese team, which continues to "put on the bus", can at least be evenly matched on the scene and effectively contain the opponent.
But when it came to overtime, the Chinese team, which continued to defend, did finish all the bullets.
Eiffelding (first from left) played well in this Asian Youth Championship.
Image source: Visual China
The 4 high-quality Asian games are self-evident for the growth of these boys. After entering the National Olympic level, and even representing the national football team in the World Preliminaries and the Asian Cup, they can better cope with the big scenes.
For Chinese football, some ideas can also be found through this Asian Youth Championship.
At this stage and even in the future, how to deal with the competition under the objective conditions of limited overall strength?
After defeating Saudi Arabia, some voices said that the Chinese team was accidental.
But an "accident" obviously cannot conceal the highlights of the Chinese team's overall football and tactical design and execution.
Looking back at this Asian Youth Championship, when facing Asian strong teams such as Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, we were not blindly beaten passively as before, nor were we "swinging the bus" for the sake of "swinging the bus".
The important thing is to fight to the point. On the basis of hard work and unity, appropriate techniques and tactics played a decisive role.
How to adjust the defensive level, how to defend more aggressively, and how to play threat and efficiency in offensive and defensive transitions are directions worth thinking about. For the national football and Chinese women's football levels, this is also a very beneficial attempt.
The Chinese team in the game against Kyrgyzstan.
Image source: Visual China
see some rebound hope
After 9 years, qualifying for the Asian Youth Championship is undoubtedly an incomparably precious light for Chinese football in the dark night, and it has seen some hope.
After all, in the previous Asian Youth Championships, the National Youth Team failed to qualify in the 2016 and 2018 Asian Youth Championships. In the 2020 Asian Youth Championships, the Chinese team encountered a trough of missing out for the first time in 25 years.
Now there is only one step away from the World Youth Championship. For Chinese football, which has been declining in recent years, it has finally seen some signs of bottoming out, at least not so far away in terms of distance.
Historically, the National Youth Team participated in the World Youth Championship five times in 1983, 1985, 1997, 2001, and 2005.
In the recent 2005 World Youth Championships, the national youth team with players in the 1985 age group qualified for the group stage. In the knockout round, they fought against the German team, and finally suffered a 2:3 reversal.
The "swan song" of the Chinese team in the World Youth Championship corresponds to the fact that these players later brought Chinese football closer to the World Cup for a long time.
In the Russian World Cup qualifiers, Lippi's national football team was only 3 points away from directly entering the World Cup in the top 12 stage, and only 1 point away from qualifying for the play-offs.
The Chinese team in the game with the Kyrgyzstan team.
Image source: Visual China
It is foreseeable that the troughs and struggles at the national football level will continue.
But the rebound of the National Youth League has at least brought some hope and practical ideas on how to compete against strong teams.
It is useless to aim too high at this moment. How to do the best under the current conditions and how to fight for ideas will be a major topic and theme of Chinese football for a long time in the future.
After doing this well, Chinese football will continue to catch up pragmatically and rationally, and it will eventually gain something.
(over)