QUESTION: How can I receive this kind of sports information on a daily basis?
A: Just click follow in the upper right corner.
The final round of the group stage of the U20 Asian Cup continued with a do-or-die match in Group A over the status of qualification, as the Iraqi National Youth Football League took on the Syrian National Youth Football League. After 90 minutes of intense fighting, Syria drew 1-1 with Iraq and finally went out in disgrace.
The four teams in Group A are hosts Uzbekistan, Iraq, Syria and Indonesia. In the pre-tournament standings, Uzbekistan ranked first with two consecutive victories, Iraq and Indonesia both had one win and one loss, and Syria was at the bottom with two consecutive victories. Both Iraq and Syria have left us with painful memories in the history of Chinese soccer, as they both acted as roadblocks for the national soccer team's World Cup push. However, in recent years, these two teams have had very different developments. Iraq has maintained a second-rate level in Asia, but Syria has gradually lost its dark horse color. Especially in the last round, Syria lost to Indonesia, which gave them hope.
In the first half, Syria did not give up on their theoretical hopes of making it out of the tournament. They played aggressively from the start and overwhelmed Iraq on offense. However, Syria was still a bit hot in terms of seizing chances. Iraq scored for the first time after Syria's three-pronged attack.Haider's header from an Iraqi corner kick in the 17th minute bounced off the top of the post before Haider's header scored the only goal of the first half. Although Syria dominated possession and shots on goal, he still trailed 0-1 at the break.
In the second half, Syria started to change their attacking players. On the Iraqi side, they remained steady and based on defensive counterattacks. With the passage of time, Syria frequently went back and forth, the three lines were disjointed and bottled up physically. As a result, Iraq gained more possession and counter-attacking opportunities, almost breaking through the Syrian defense, but the next goal was slow to come. The more time there was, the less there was left. Finally, in the 95th minute, a Syrian header staged an absolute equalizer. However, the goal was not enough to change the situation, but only to save face. The two sides ended up playing 1-1.
It's hard to imagine that Syria, once a national soccer team and second-tier Asian powerhouse, has fallen into this situation in just five years. Their adult national team is at the bottom of the Top 12, and now the U20 national team is at the bottom of the group stage and can't even beat Indonesia. Imagine how shaken up public opinion should be if China loses to Indonesia. In fact, infighting has been the theme song of Syrian soccer for the past three or four years, and even the Syrian Football Association was disbanded at one point. In a way, the speed of slide of Syrian soccer and the harshness of the soccer environment is no less than that of Chinese soccer, and they have officially bid farewell to the second-rate Asian.
Luckily for the Chinese U20 men's soccer team, not only did they not lose to any of the weaker teams in Southeast Asia, but they also beat defending champions Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the last round and have a firm grip on advancing to the next round of the tournament. In the final round of matches, China will take on Kyrgyzstan, the weakest team in the group, and with a win they will surely advance to the top eight, in the event of a draw or a negative, depending on the results of Japan and Saudi Arabia. For Chinese soccer, this is one of the few chances to dictate their destiny. If they do make it to the top eight of the Asian Cup, then these youngsters will undoubtedly work wonders.
