In the blazing summer dusk of Zagreb, Croatia, the clock struck 17:00 on August 31st as the Chinese U-21 national team took on last season's fifth-ranked NK Kustošija in the third round of the Croatian Second Division League.
The game went on until the 25th minute when the opponents opened the scoring first by adding a goal after a clever cross from the side. However, Shanghai Shenhua star He Longhai quickly leveled the score in the 46th minute when he took advantage of a precise pass from Abdul Mehsuri Abdurahmu and fired in a low shot. But the drama of the match flipped again in the 74th minute when the opponents were awarded a penalty kick and struck home. In the end, China's U-21 national team was defeated by a score of 1:2.
The starting lineup is as follows: Wang Jinshuai, Yang Zihao, Ruan Qilong, Liu Wenhao, Zhu Yue, Jia Feifan, Duan Dezhi, He Longhai, Gao Tianyi, Yi Xianlong, Zhao Jianbo.
On the bench, players such as Zheng Xuejian, Chen Xiangyu, Abdul Meat Suli Abdurahmu, Tao Qianglong, Zhang Xiangshuo, Chen Rong, Zhu Qiwen, Jin Shunkai, Liu Junxian, Wang Yiwei, and Lai Tenglong are also ready to take the field at any time.
On the afternoon of September 5, local time, China's U-21 men's national soccer team will take on a new challenge with a fourth-round Croatian Second Division League clash against HNK Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
