As the U21 League enters the fourth round, reporter Chen Yong keen to capture a new wave of athleticism: the pace of the game such as the wind and rain, the intensity of the confrontation is even better.
The first three rounds of the Hohhot tournament were well fought, but few goals were scored. Zhejiang had a slight advantage with a score of 2-1, but in the remaining 8 matches, the number of goals did not exceed 2 goals. In the fourth round, the situation changed suddenly, Shanghai Harbor won 3-2 against Shenzhen, Chengdu Rongcheng beat Henan by the same score, and Beijing Guoan won 2-0 against Zhejiang.
In Dalian, Shandong Taishan dominated the first three rounds, winning all three matches and scoring 11 goals and conceding only 1. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Changchun Yatai suffered three consecutive losses. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Changchun Yatai suffered three consecutive losses, while Shanghai Shenhua debuted with two wins and a draw, and Dalian people had two wins and a loss.In Group D, Cangzhou Lions defeated Shandong Taishan 0-1, but the three matches in the fourth round were exceptionally fierce.
Shanghai Shenhua and Changchun Yatai battle, the two sides back and forth, scrambling intense. Shenhua player Xiao Yangyang suffered a head injury in a confrontation, but fortunately the injury was not serious. In the end, Changchun Yatai won by 1 point. After the game, Yatai captain Zhao Hanyu lamented: "This is our whole team's effort, if there is no struggle, we may not even get this score. This score also relieves our pressure."
Shandong Taishan and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers had a huge difference in strength, but the young players of Jinmen Tigers did not get discouraged and created a lot of chances by actively fighting against each other. However, they did not capitalize on them. Taishan didn't break the deadlock until the 85th minute and sealed the win in the 89th minute. Despite the win, the Taishan team said bluntly that the Jinmen Tigers were not easy to deal with.
The match between Dalian People and Cangzhou Lions is equally exciting. In the first round, Dalian People lost 1-2 to Cangzhou Lions, so naturally, they wanted to make a clean sweep. The match was very intense, with both sides going back and forth and physical confrontation throughout the match. The referee showed many yellow cards and pacified both players. In the end, both sides shook hands with 1-1.
So far in the U21 League, the players have shown great skills in slow-paced, weakly-confronted matches. As the pace of the game increases and the intensity of the confrontation rises, the players' technical and tactical level has decreased. However, this is undoubtedly a valuable exercise: any tactics and techniques need to be tested in fast-paced, high-intensity matches. After the first few rounds, it was gratifying to see the pace and intensity of the U21 League get more and more intense.
In fact, many people are not familiar with the U21 league. In fact, its predecessor is the reserve team league familiar to fans. The league started in 2002, borrowing from European reserve leagues, but the early leagues were unregulated and unpredictable. 2010 saw the removal of age restrictions from the reserve league, and the following year saw the introduction of a double-round-robin system of home and away matches. 2021 saw the emergence of China's First Division Reserve League, with the matches gradually being regulated.
At that time, the reserve league was mostly played on the next day of the Chinese Super League and Chinese First Division, usually in the early morning, as the teams...
