China's U23 men's soccer team failed to capitalize on a promising start to the U23 Asian Cup with a 0-1 defeat against Japan in their opening match. In the 89th minute of the game, Olympic manager Cheng Yaodong boldly replaced 2-meter tall goalkeeper Yu Jin Yong as a striker, intending to fight for his life, but in the end failed to turn the game around.
As the curtain fell on the battle, the move sparked heated debate. Korean media bluntly said that the Chinese national Olympic team is suspected of irregularities.
According to South Korean media BEST and ELEVEN, late in the second half, Sung Yeo-dong used 2-meter-tall replacement goalkeeper Yu Jin-yong as a striker, with the intention of using his height advantage to compete for the ball in the air, looking for a breakthrough. This strategy has been in the warm-up games to beat Malaysia, Yu Jin Yong's header forced the opposing players in the penalty area handball, China was awarded a penalty kick. But this time the tactic did not work, but became a laughing stock.
Interestingly, North Korea suffered a similar situation at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hoon failed to submit three goalkeepers to FIFA as required. In the list of goalkeepers, North Korea reported Ri Myung-kook, Kim Myung-won and Kim Myung-gil. However, FIFA's investigation found that Kim Myung Won, who plays for the Yalu River, is actually a striker, not a goalkeeper. As a result, FIFA formally notified the DPRK Football Association that Kim Myung Won could only participate as a goalkeeper due to a violation of the rules.
In contrast, the Chinese team is in a slightly different situation. Yu Jin Yong is listed as a goalie, not a field player. He did not register through deception. However, the similarity between the two is that he registered as a goalie without actually playing as one. If this is found to be a violation, Yu Jinyong may no longer be able to participate in the U23 Asian Cup as a goalkeeper.
On April 19th at 21:00, China's national Olympic team will welcome the second match of the Asian Cup against South Korea.
