In the early morning of May 3, Beijing time, China's 2001 U22 Olympic team continued to compete in Croatia. In a match against Croatian First Division side NK Dugopolje, the Olympic team conceded one goal in the first and second half to lose 2-0. In this match, five players who competed in this year's U20 Asian Youth Championship started at the same time, and He Xiaoke of Spain also came off the bench in the second half.
(1) The National Olympic Games encountered traffic jams when they went south in advance
After two weeks of Belgian training, the Olympic team returned to Zagreb from Brussels on the afternoon of April 28 to resume normal training after a day of rest to prepare for the match against the Croatian team. After a training session on the morning of May 2, the Olympic team traveled to the town of Solin in the Split region in the afternoon to prepare for the match against Dugopolij on the 3rd.
During this trip to Croatia, in order to ensure the quality of the competition, when playing against opponents who are long distances and take a long time on the road, they generally start one day earlier and rest for one night before playing at the location of the competition, which is completely different from the practice of only starting on the day of the competition when going to Kra last year. Under normal circumstances, the Olympic team will play two matches in a trip, and the Croatian Football Association will also cooperate with two relatively close opponents to play the national Olympic team. On this trip, the National Olympic Team participated in the sixth Gram A confrontation match and the third warm-up match of self-contact.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, on the way to Solin, the National Olympic Team encountered a big traffic jam. Due to heavy rain and slippery highways, traffic accidents continue to occur on the road. To avoid a cave stuck in traffic, the Olympic team's bus had to detour for an extra two hours. Under normal circumstances, the Olympic team was expected to arrive within five hours, but it was already around 21:30 local time when they arrived at Solin's hotel because of the detour. Imagine if you choose to leave on the day of the game to catch such a traffic jam, the Olympic team is likely to miss the game.
During Croatia's training session last year, the Olympic team played Dugopoliče, but the match was temporarily arranged to be played on another stadium due to maintenance at the club's home stadium. This time, the Olympic team can play a real home game in Dugopolije. The turf of the team's home stadium is of the best quality in the Croatian club, and the dressing rooms and other facilities are relatively new due to refurbishments.
(2) All five former national youth players started
In last year's meeting, Dugopolij finished in the middle of the table in the Croatian First Division, and the Olympic team eventually lost 2-0, and the opponent also had a number of young players in the starting line-up. This season, Dugopolij have not been in good shape, with only 6 wins, 13 draws, 9 defeats and 31 points in 28 games to rank 10th, and the last 5 games have been 2 draws and 3 defeats. According to the rules of the Croatian First Division, the last of the 12 teams is directly relegated, and the second from the bottom is subject to a relegation play-off with the second place in the Gram B. Although Dugopolij are in 10th place, they are only beaten by 11th-placed Cousteaga on goal difference and are fighting for relegation. But even so, Dugopolij still sent first-team players to the field in the match against the Olympic team, especially in the second half of the 8 people to play in full force, the overall strength and experience of the team are above the national Olympic team.
The Olympic team also made a bold attempt in this match, placing five players who participated in the U20 Asian Cup in March this year, including Kim Yong, Hu Hetao, Mu Talip, Liu Haofan and Bai Holamu, which is also the first time that these U20 internationals have reinforced the national Olympic team. The coaching staff's intention is clear, to be able to observe the performance of these jumpers against the senior team. Among them, Liu Haofan, who performed well in the U20 Asian Cup, reinforced the national Olympic team, but because of injuries, the training was not systematic, and it was not until the late stage of Belgium's training that he gradually recovered and began to play.
In terms of formation, the national Olympic team also continued to discharge 352. During their training in Belgium, the team practiced the back three and it worked well, but this was the first time it was used against Croatia. In the Belgian training, the Olympic team actually found some confidence, although the opponent is full of momentum, but after all, they are also players of the same age, the national Olympic team members can often carry the ball over, and the ball is controlled at their feet longer. Because I have the ball, I can often play some beautiful combinations.
In the match against Dugopolije, the Olympic team also wanted to control the rhythm with the opponent at the beginning, but the opponent relied on a strong body to hit the Olympic team members frequently to the ground during the game, and the players became a little uncomfortable. It is difficult for a player to dribble the ball, and the ball stays at his feet for a little longer and it is easy to be pressed by the opponent and make a successful tackle. Moreover, the opponent's game experience is also more sufficient, because there is a prejudgment in advance, it is easy to judge the passing line of the Olympic team, so the number of times the national Olympic team enters the opponent's 35-meter area with the ball is not very much. Although the local counter-tackle also worked, he quickly gave the ball to the opponent. It was not until the 20th minute of the first half that the Olympic team had its first sporting opportunity on goal. At that time, the National Olympic Team successfully transferred a steal near the midfield to the right wing, and Zhu Yue, who was inserted later, dribbled the ball and shot high outside the box, which was obviously a little too hasty.
(3) One ball for mistakes in the first and second halves
The referee of this match is an international female referee appointed by the Croatian Football Association, who blew two controversial penalties from China in last year's Olympic team against Dugopolije, and to some extent her re-enforcement also affected the mood of the players. In the 22nd minute, after breaking the ball on the right side of the backfield, the long pass, No. 11 Baihalamu inserted the ball in front and was ready to counterattack, the opposing player directly reached out to hold the ball and put it on the ground to send a free kick. It was somewhat inexplicable, but the referee signaled for the game to continue. This nonsensical penalty once again affected the mentality of the team during the game.
Just 6 minutes later, the National Olympic team's backcourt passing error was broken, the opponent's diagonal pass after the middle player inserted the catch directly behind the Olympic team defender, the player inserted on the right side faced the goalkeeper to push the goal, 1-0, Dugopolije team took the lead to break the deadlock on the field. After that, Dugopolij created a few more threatening shots, but the Olympic team did not concede another goal, and the score remained 1-0 until the end of the first half.
The coaching staff redeployed at half-time, and after the start of the second half, the Olympic team increased the frequency of passing and receiving the ball, no longer dragged as in the first half, and created good scoring opportunities in succession. In the 51st minute, Baihlamu drove the ball into the opponent's penalty area, fell to the ground under the sandwich between the two, and was ruled by the referee to show a yellow card. One minute later, the opponent counterattacked into the box and shot into the box, and the Olympic goalkeeper Kim Yong struggled to save the ball.
In the 57th minute, Dugopolije changed eight players at a time, and all of these players wore small shirts and were significantly older, basically the main force of the opponent. However, the Olympic team still created good opportunities through corner kicks and offensive cooperation, especially in the 65th minute, Bai Lamu broke through from the right side and crossed, No. 18 Liu Junxian transitioned the ball to No. 19 Mu Talip, who then crossed to the left wing, and No. 28 Hu Hetao shot into the side net, and the Olympic team missed the best scoring opportunity. Two minutes later, Dugopolije broke through from the left and crossed, the ball went over the heads of the three defenders of the Olympic team, and the right winger inserted a header to score, 2-0!
Despite trailing 2-0, the Olympic team played their own in the rest of the game, changing eight players in the 75th minute and changing 352 to the more familiar 4231. In the 81st minute, the Olympic team fought back after scrambling in midfield, and substitute Zhao Jianbo was given a one-on-one opportunity with the opposing goalkeeper, but his shot hit the goalkeeper directly, and the national Olympic team missed the opportunity to narrow the score. Two minutes later, the Olympic team won a corner kick, and He Longhai's penalty caused a scuffle in the opponent's penalty area, and the ball almost rolled into the net in the crowd, but the opposing defender cleared the fence on the goal line. Before the end, the Olympic team won a corner kick for the last attack, but unfortunately it was narrowly saved by the opponent. The referee then blew the final whistle, and the Olympic team lost again to Dugopolije 0-2.
Attached: National Olympic Team lineup
No. 35 Yu Jinyong; No. 28 Hu Hetao (No. 17 Yang Zihao, 75'), No. 4 Liang Shaowen, No. 30 Jin Shunkai, No. 3 Liu Haofan (No. 25 Zheng Xuejian, 75'), No. 5 Zhu Yue (No. 6 Chen Yuhao, 75'); No. 21 Duan Dezhi (No. 26 Ma Fuyu, 75'), No. 15 Liang Weipeng (No. 29 Zhu Qiwen, 75'), No. 19 Mu Talipu (No. 33 He Xiaoke, 75'); No. 18 Liu Junxian (No. 9 Zhao Jianbo, 75'), No. 11 Bai Lamu (No. 23 He Longhai, 75').