6, held in Uzbekistan in the U20 Men's Asian Cup Group D second round of the group stage, Mutalifu and Xu Bin in the second half each scored a goal, goalkeeper Li Hao many times to complete the key saves, China's team 2.:0 to beat Saudi Arabia, won the group stage first win.
China's debutants pose for a group photo before the match on March 6th. Xinhua News Agency
On March 1, the 41st U20 Asian Cup finals officially began, U20 national football team with Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan in the same group. U20 national football team in the group D is also known as the tournament's "group of death", because Japan and Saudi Arabia to win the championship of the favorite team.
Losing 1-2 to Japan in the first match, the U20 national football team's prospects for the lineup were not promising, as they faced Saudi Arabia in the second match. However, on the evening of March 6, the U20 national football team surprisingly blew away their opponents, and with Mutalifu's goal in the 65th minute of the second half and Xu Bin's goal in the 72nd minute, the situation of the line was instantly clear.
Efirdin sent in a cross that substitute Mutalifu grabbed and broke through for the breakaway goal.
U20 national soccer team blew away their opponents with a 2:0 win
One fan exclaimed, "I can't remember the last time the national soccer team won against Saudi Arabia in an official match." Although it was only a U20 level match, the victory still brings unlimited hope.
A parry breaks through in front of Xu Bin's goal.
Chinese goalkeeper Li Hao, who made a number of brilliant saves, has signed for Atletico Madrid.
The win also further boosted the U20s away from the group. Next, they will face Kyrgyzstan on March 9, who have now lost two matches.
After two rounds of fighting, Japan is leading with 6 points, U20 National Football Team and Saudi Arabia are second and third with 3 points, and Kyrgyzstan is at the bottom with 0 points. In the final round, as long as the U20s can beat Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia can't beat Japan, they will qualify. In this regard, the team's coach Antonio said: "Our minimum goal is to get out of the group. I think China can do it!" This can be said to be an extremely important cardiotonic for Chinese soccer, which is currently under a cloud.
In addition, the top four teams of the tournament will advance to the U20 World Cup (World Youth Championship) in Indonesia, which will be held from May to June this year, while the U20 national soccer team has been away from the World Youth Championship for 18 years.
Mutalifu became the hero of the whole team in this game, according to Beiqing Sports. The Xinjiang boy, born in 2004, came to Chengdu from his hometown of Kashgar in 2019 to continue pursuing his soccer dream. His Chengdu FA Derry Football Training Center 04 ladder team won the third place in the U15 Youth Super League and the U15 Champions League 2nd National Youth Games U15 Championship in 2019.
In April 2022, Mutalifu officially became a member of the first team of Chengdu Rongcheng Football Club, and the youngest member of the first team. Mutalifu once said: "I have always had three dreams. First, I played for Chengdu. Secondly, I became a member of the national team and won glory for my country. Also, I dreamed of playing in five leagues. Now my first dream has come true!"
