Controversy over U23 Asian Cup battle between China and Japan
China's U23 men's soccer team missed the chance to open the U23 Asian Cup with a 0-1 defeat against Japan in the first match of the tournament. In the 89th minute of the game, Olympic head coach Cheng Yaodong made a bold change in formation, replacing two-meter-tall goalkeeper Yu Jin Yong to the center forward position with the intention of making a last-ditch effort, but failed to do so.
The move sparked widespread discussion after the match, with South Korean media even pointing to alleged irregularities in the Chinese national Olympic team's operation.
BEST, South Korean media ELEVEN reported that: late in the second half, Cheng Yaodong used 2-meter tall replacement goalkeeper Yu Jin Yong as a striker, with the intention of using his height advantage to fight for the ball in the air. This tactic had worked in the previous warm-up match with Malaysia, where Yu's header forced a handball and China was awarded a penalty kick. But in this match, this strategy did not achieve significant results, but became a laughing stock.
Surprisingly, a similar situation occurred with the North Korean team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Instead of submitting a list of three goalkeepers to FIFA as required, North Korean head coach Kim Jong-Hoon registered strikers Ri Myung-Kook, Kim Myung-Won and Kim Myung-Kil as goalkeepers. However, FIFA discovered that Kim Myung Won was not a goalkeeper but a striker. As a result, the DPRK team could only compete as goalkeepers.
The situation is slightly different for China, as Yu Jinyong is registered as a goalkeeper but does not actually play that role. He did not register through deception, but if the matter is found to be a violation, Yu Jin Yong may not be able to continue to participate in this year's U23 Asian Cup as a goalkeeper.
At 21:00 on the evening of April 19, the Chinese National Olympic Team will usher in the second match of this year's Asian Cup against South Korea.
