Tonight, the U23 Asian Cup quarterfinals got underway with the first matchup between Indonesia U23 and Uzbekistan U23. Indonesia U23's debut ended in a shocking upset, with a string of surprises, including knocking out South Korea U23, a traditional powerhouse, in the last eight. Although the players were physically drained by the 120-minute thriller, their resilience will likely pay off in the next round. Uzbekistan U23 have won all four of their matches this season by two goals, showing a strong aura, and even if the handicap suggests -1 for Uzbekistan, the upper hand is still trustworthy.
Indonesia U23 has been getting stronger and stronger since they defeated host Qatar U23 in the first round of the group stage. Not only did they beat Australia U23, but they also had a fierce battle with South Korea U23. After taking the lead twice, they eventually drew 2-2, with overtime still a tough call. In the end, Indonesia U23 won the penalty shootout by 12 yards. However, we must keep an eye on the potential threat of South Korea U23. With some of their players eliminated, Indonesia U23 have the opportunity to play more matches. The road to promotion is full of uncertainty. The result of this game may no longer be as good as expected.
Last year's runners-up, the Uzbek U23s, have come back strong this season with a perfect performance. Winning all four matches, scoring 12 goals and leading at half time in each match. In the end, they all won with a goal difference of more than two goals, and are far stronger than any other team in their division, enough to easily deal with Indonesia U23's fatigue.
In another quarterfinal matchup, Japan U23 faced Iraq U23, who knocked out Qatar U23 in the last eight and had a strong offensive performance, scoring in three of their four matches. On the other hand, Iraq U23, who scored only five goals in four matches this season, looked unstable on the defensive end, and were afraid of resisting the fierce attack of Japan U23. The first line of goal scoring opportunities for Japan U23 is worth watching closely.
