With the finals over, the U23 Asian Cup standings have been formalized. Japan, Uzbekistan and Iraq were ranked in the top three and they also earned a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics. Super dark horses Indonesia reached the quarterfinals for the first time and ended up fourth. Indonesia will be fighting for a play-off spot to qualify for the final Olympic Games!
In the case of the Chinese team, they were placed in the "Group of Death" with Japan and South Korea, and were unable to make a breakthrough in the group stage. However, in their final group game, China beat the UAE 2-1, ending a 2,289-day goal drought. This win against the UAE was also the second win for China at the U23 Asian Cup in six years. With this rare win, China ended up in ninth place and hope to qualify for the next edition of the tournament as the number one seed!
Let's hope the Chinese men's soccer team makes a breakthrough in the next U23 Asian Cup and reaches the knockout stage for the first time!
