After the U21 League entered the fourth round, reporter Chen Yong reported that the teams suddenly changed their faces: the pace of the game was faster and the confrontation more intense.
In the first three rounds of the Hohhot tournament, there were nine matches, only Zhejiang scored two goals against Shenzhen (score 2-1), the other eight matches had 1 or 0 goals between the two sides, and the field was very tense. However, in the fourth round of matches, the teams started to let loose and the number of goals increased dramatically. Shanghai Seaport beat Shenzhen 3-2, Chengdu Rongcheng beat Henan by the same score, while Beijing Guoan beat Zhejiang 2-0.
In the reporter's region of Dalian, Shandong Taishan made three consecutive victories in the first three rounds of the solo show, scoring 11 goals and conceding one. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Changchun Yatai suffered three consecutive defeats, while Shanghai Shenhua won 2 and drew 1, and Dalian people won 2 and lost 1. Cangzhou Lions in Group D were considered the dark horse, only than Shanghai Shenhua lost 0-1 to Shandong Taishan. But all three matches in the fourth round were fiercely fought.
In the match between Shanghai Shenhua and Changchun Yatai, there were frequent and intense confrontations throughout the game. With Yatai leading the game with a goal and Shenhua equalizing, Shenhua player Xiao Yangyang suffered a head injury during the fierce confrontation. At that time, Xiao Yangyang and Yatai defender Peng Bo collided at the top of the head. Fortunately, Xiao Yangyang's injury was not serious. In the end, Changchun Yatai grabbed the first point of the U21 League from Shanghai Shenhua. After the game, Yatai captain Zhao Hanyu also felt that the game was not easy: "This is a point for our whole team. If we don't fight, we won't even get this point. This point also releases our pressure."
There is a big difference between Shandong Taishan and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, but the 0-6 score in the first round didn't make Tianjin Jinmen Tiger's youngsters give up. They fought aggressively to contain Taishan's offense and created many attacking chances. Unfortunately, they failed to capitalize on these opportunities. The mighty Taishan team also fought hard. They didn't break the deadlock until the 85th minute and took advantage of the Jinmen Tigers' players' eagerness to tie the game in the 89th minute to score another goal. Despite the win, Taishan also said bluntly that it was hard for the Jinmen Tigers to play after the match.
Not to mention the match between Dalian Ren and Cangzhou Lions. In the first round of home games, Dalian people 1-2 defeated Cangzhou Lions. In this round, they naturally wanted to take revenge. During the match, both sides went back and forth, with intense physical confrontation throughout the game. The referee not only showed a number of yellow cards, but also many times to appease the emotions of both players. In the end, both sides shook hands 1-1.
From the U21 League to the present, players' technical ability has been well utilized in slow-paced, weakly-confrontational matches, and there has been a certain degree of decline in the technical and tactical performances of players from various teams as the pace and intensity of confrontation have increased. However, this is very valuable:any tactical requirements and technical ability must be predicated on fast-paced, high-intensity matches. After the first few rounds of testing, the pace and intensity of the U21 League has become faster, which is certainly reassuring.
In fact, many fans are not familiar with the U21 league. In fact, their predecessor is the relatively familiar reserve team league. This league originated in 2002, with reference to the European reserve team league, but the league was not standardized in the early stage and changed a lot. 2010, the reserve team league abolished the age limit, and a year later, a double round-robin system of home and away matches was implemented. 2021, the China First Division Reserve Team League was launched, and the matches were gradually standardized.
In those days most of the reserve leagues were held on the second day of the Super League and the First Division, usually in the morning, as the participating teams
