On the evening of September 6, China faced UAE U23 in the first round of the U23 Asian Cup Qualifier and Olympic Qualifier Asian Zone group stage.Coach Cheng Yaodong revealed before the match that the team had been preparing for three years but had to rely on the talent of the national youth players due to the absence of the worst echelon in history, the 01 Echelon. On the other hand, the 03 ladder team, which had an impressive performance in the 2023 U20 Asian Cup, even beat defending champion Saudi Arabia in the knockout stage and advanced to the last eight.
In this match, the National Youth Rising Stars take the lead to deal with the life-and-death test brought about by the Maldives' withdrawal from the U23 Asian Cup qualifying tournament.The U23 Asian Cup qualifiers are organized into 11 groups, with the first and second place in each group and the hosts advancing. China had nearly equal possession with the UAE but capitalized on more scoring chances. However, Liang Shaowen in the 24th minute, Liu Zhurun in the 59th minute and Xie Wenke in the 86th minute all missed good opportunities.
In the end, China shook hands with the UAE 0-0, as Cheng Yaodong's three years of hard work seemed to fail to translate into a win. The team was expected to win by a single goal, but missed the opportunity and the draw was particularly unfortunate. With the UAE Olympic qualifiers just around the corner, China is in a delicate position, with a clear goal difference disadvantage, and the Indian National Olympic team, whose strength is a mystery, is out of the first round of the tournament, adding to the uncertainty of the match.
