Qingdao witnessed a historic moment in the starry night of September 8, when China's U15 National Junior Team and Japan's U15 National Junior Team battled it out in the final of the 2023 EAFC U15 Boys' Football Championship. Neither side was able to break the deadlock in regular time, and in the penalty shootout, the Chinese team won the championship 4-2 against all odds and returned to the team in glory. In this team, No. 2 Han Yiheng - the son of Dongtou, Wenzhou, became the focus of attention.
The drums of the final were beating at 7:00 pm on the 8th. Evergrande Soccer School's 9 players made their debut, and Han Yiheng stood steadily at the right back position. In the first half, his solid defense left the Japanese players at their wits' end, and several forward supports failed to bear fruit, but neither side scored. In the second half, the stalemate continued, China missed good opportunities, 90 minutes of regular play ended, the score remained 0-0. penalty kicks, the Chinese team a drum, to win 4-2.
The tournament, organized by the East Asian Football Confederation (EAFC), brought together U15 boys' soccer teams from nine countries and regions. The Chinese team was grouped with five other teams, including South Korea, Macau, China, Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands, and performed well in the group stage. on September 1, the Chinese team swept Macau, China, 13-0; on September 3, they beat Mongolia 6-0; on September 4, they faced the Northern Mariana Islands and scored 23 goals; on September 5, they drew a 1-1 tie with South Korea, and advanced to the semifinals at the top of the group. In the semifinals, China swept Chinese Taipei 5-0 and headed straight to the final.
In the semifinals on Sept. 7, China beat their opponents 20-1, while Japan won 4-0. As for Han Yiheng, a teenager born in Dongtou in 2008 who grew up with his parents in Tongling, Anhui province, he started to play soccer in 2016, joined the Evergrande Soccer School ladder team in 2017, and played on his own in Guangzhou at the age of nine, where he played as a center back, striker, and right forward, and is now a right back in the U15 national junior team.
Han Yiheng's father, Han Xin, said that his son is self-disciplined and self-reliant on the road of soccer, and the scientific training and fine management of Evergrande Soccer School let Han Yiheng gradually stabilize in the team's main position. As parents, they will fully support Han Yiheng to realize his dream, and hope that he will create brilliance in soccer and win glory for Wenzhou.
After the game, Han Yiheng said with confidence that he will continue to work hard to enter the professional league as soon as possible and represent the adult national team to fight for his country.
