Looking back on the eve of the U23 Asian Cup, the Chinese men's soccer team's record can be described as bleak. In the four editions of the tournament since our first appearance, we have ended with only one win and eleven losses, with very little experience in the group stage, and most of the time experiencing the pain of losing. It's worth noting that in the one tournament that was hosted on home soil, we came out with a bang, beating Bahrain to collect our first win in U23 Asian Cup history. However, after the last three warm-up matches, there seems to be a glimmer of expectation for the Chinese U23 men's soccer team.
It is worth mentioning that the performance of the Chinese youth team this year is quite bright. In last year's U15 East Asia Cup, we defeated Japan and South Korea to win the trophy. Even in the U20 Asian Cup, where we were placed in the Group of Death with Saudi Arabia and Japan, we still beat defending champions Saudi Arabia in the group stage, advancing to the knockout rounds as second in the group. In the knockout round, despite a fierce battle with South Korea until extra time, we finally went out with regret. This proves that the strength of the youth team should not be underestimated.
However, the U23 national team was faced with the absence of three key players in the match against Qatar. Huang Zihao only participated in the training as a chaperone due to the shortage of goalkeeper positions. Side players Xie Wenneng and Tao Qianglong, on the other hand, failed to be selected for the training due to fierce competition in the Chinese Super League. If these vacancies can be filled, the strength of China's U23 men's soccer team will be further enhanced.
