With the drums of war beating in the U23 Asian Cup, the fierce competition has officially begun. According to the rules of the competition, the top of the 11 groups and the runners-up of the 4 groups join the hosts, and a total of 16 strong teams are among the final round. Although our U23 national football team's recent performance has not been satisfactory, the strength is slightly insufficient, but thankfully, in the stage of U23 Asian soccer, the national football team has not yet missed the final record. Originally, everything went according to plan, however, the Maldives' unexpected withdrawal caught the other three teams off guard, making the space for the national football team's U23 selection dramatically reduced. To advance, they must top the group stage.
In the marquee match, the triple header between UAE U23, India U23 and our U23 national soccer team heated up into a first-ever match between the national soccer teams and the UAE. Coinciding with the two teams being scheduled to face each other in the first round, the tense match instantly escalated into a life-and-death contest where neither side could afford to lose.
At the beginning of the match, the U23s were in good shape, and the front players tried their best to suppress the UAE U23s in their own half of the field. However, the UAE U23 didn't panic, and resolved the breaks of the UAE U23 with their excellent footwork. In the 11th minute, UAE U23 passed continuously in front of the field, and Sultan Ali's long-distance shot went over the crossbar. In the 17th minute, Yang Zihao's rough foul almost triggered a clash between the two sides, but fortunately the referee intervened in time and calmed down the situation.
In the 24th minute, the national U23s had a great chance to break through. After a cross from the side, Liang Shaowen was unmarked in the penalty area, but his shot was parried by the keeper and the area was then thrown into chaos. Successive shots from Efirdin and Duan Dezhi failed to score. Unfortunately, the National Football Team U23 missed a valuable chance to take the lead. Towards the end of the first half, UAE U23 launched a counter-attack and Liu Haofan slipped in a defensive error. Khalib Suhail took a shot on goal and the goalkeeper magically parried the goal. The half ended in a 0:0 draw.
Throughout the first half, the game was choppy and the overall technical and tactical level was fair. The U23s of the national football team performed well in space and spirit level, but other angles were slightly insufficient. The overall strength of UAE U23 is slightly better, but did not show obvious advantages. The team relies too much on Khalib Suhail, and the tactics favor long passes and dangles, which is relatively simple. However, in terms of creating absolute chances, both teams had some chances, and the U23s were closer to breaking through. Unfortunately, they failed to capitalize on it. In the second half, how Sung Yeo-dong adjusts his lineup in the halftime lounge will directly affect the trend of the game.
In the second half, UAE U23 continued to high-pressure physical confrontation, the national football players frequently fell to the ground. In the 58th minute, the national football team broke the ball in the backfield, and Liu Zhurun was looking for a breakthrough with a long pass. Unfortunately, Liu Zhurun made a mistake in judgment due to the opponent's interference, otherwise it would have been an excellent one-touch goal. After missing this chance, Cheng Yaodong was very dissatisfied on the sidelines and immediately replaced Liu Zhurun with Jia Feifan. As the game progressed, both sides gradually decreased in physical fitness, and the UAE U23 kept changing players. In the 86th minute, the national U23 got a chance in front of the field, Hu Huotao crossed the ball inside the box, the UAE defense made a mistake, but unfortunately missed the last point.
The draw was more than satisfactory for both sides, and the next stage of the tournament was relatively clear. Whichever team can score more clean sheets against India U23 will top the group and advance directly to the final round. However, the national soccer team's match against India is crucial and the situation is unfavorable. After all, in the UAE's match against India, they have already clarified the number of goals required to secure the top spot in the group. If the UAE and the national soccer team have the same goal difference, they will decide the qualifying team based on the number of red and yellow cards between the two sides.
Throughout the game, the overall performance of the U23 national football players was noteworthy, especially in terms of physical confrontation and physical fitness. The only shortcoming was that they were slightly inferior to their opponents in terms of speed. Unfortunately, Xie Wenneng missed a good opportunity in the final stage, but considering that he had just started the game, he did not complain too much. However, Liu Zhurun made consecutive mistakes and missed the chance to make a crucial comeback, sparking widespread discontent.
