Looking back, our U23 men's soccer team's journey in the Asian Cup was full of ups and downs. Although we have been through four Asian Cups, the record is 1 win and 11 losses, not a single win in the group stage, only in a game at home, with a wonderful comeback, beat Bahrain, writing the first victory in the history of the U23 Asian Cup. However, as the warm-up matches came to an end, our expectations for this team grew.
This year, the performance of China's youth team has been a revelation. In last year's U15 East Asian Cup, we beat Japan and South Korea with absolute strength and won the championship. Even in the "Group of Death" in the U20 Asian Cup, we nearly pulled off a victory over defending champions Saudi Arabia, advancing to the knockout rounds as second in the group. Although we lost in extra time against South Korea, the potential of this young team should not be underestimated.
However, in this match against Qatar, the U23 national team is facing the absence of three key players. Huang Zihao, the only goalkeeper, played a role as a chaperone in the training but had a hard time getting a chance to play due to the vacant position. Xie Wenneng and Tao Qianglong, who play on the wing, were not able to join the training due to the fierce competition in the Chinese Super League. If these three players can be added, the strength of China's U23 men's soccer team will certainly be on a new level.
