Photo: China U20 soccer team against Syria U20 in Dubai
On the night of January 28, Beijing time, China U20 Men's Football Team played a warm-up match against Syria U20 in Dubai and lost 1-2 to the opponent. With this Dubai training session coming to an end, the team will depart on February 2 for the next phase of overseas training in Croatia.
Looking back at the first match on January 25, Hu Huotao's goal helped China U20 beat Syria 1-0, earning them their first win of the Dubai training. However, in the January 28 match, Syria U20 broke the deadlock first, and Bayramu equalized in the second half through a free kick. In the end, China U20 lost 1-2 amidst a counterattack by their opponents.
In the five warm-up matches in Dubai, China U20 achieved one win, two draws and two losses. Despite the unsatisfactory results, the team was able to test their own gaps through the actual matches, especially when facing such strong opponents as Oman and Syria. For this reason, China U20 head coach Antonio adopted the strategy of "one lineup for the first half and one for the second half" to allow more players to get exercise and for the coaching staff to get a full understanding of their form. Despite only one win, the players' execution and discipline won the recognition of the coaching team.
As planned, the team will depart from Dubai on February 2 for a three-week training session in Croatia. It is reported that in Croatia, China U20 will play no less than 10 warm-up matches in Uzbekistan in March to prepare for the final push for the upcoming Asian Cup.
