In the late evening of June 16, Beijing time, with Wang Yudong's opening five-minute blitz score, the 2006 Chinese U17 men's football team drew 1-1 with Tajikistan U17 in the first round of the group stage of the U17 Asian Cup final in Chonburi, Thailand. Although goalkeeper Xie Gongbo's "butterhand" saving error led to a missed point, which caused the team to miss the opener. However, head coach Yang Chen was generally satisfied with the team's performance in this game. In an interview with a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily after the game, Yang Chen said frankly, "The first game was stressful for everyone, but after experiencing this 'first time', we will definitely get better and better..."
The Group C match of the U17 Asian Cup Final Group Stage kicked off on the evening of June 17 in Chonburi, Thailand. The Chinese U17 team faced the Tajikistan U17 team, which they had never met before, in the first round. The U17 national football team got off to a very smooth start, with Son Kangbo breaking the ball in the middle of the game just five minutes into the game, and then assisted Wang Yudong to use his personal ability to shoot into the net. After that, the U17 national football team took advantage of good ground coordination and pressing play to continue to lay siege to the opponent for nearly 20 minutes. However, due to the humid and hot climate of the venue, the U17 national football team is too physically exhausted, and the opponent has also used the advantage of the body to gradually reverse the passive situation. In the 36th minute of the game, Tajikistan U17 team Ahmedkhon scored with a header in the box, but the U17 national football goalkeeper Xie Gongbo "leaked" the ball into the door during the save. After that, the two teams attacked and defended each other, but missed offensive opportunities several times. The score was 1-1 until the end.
When the Indian referee blew the final whistle in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, several members of the Chinese and Tata teams fell on the turf almost simultaneously, and a battle of attrition exhausted both teams. Wang Yudong, who played all over the field, and his teammates could not hide their regrets in their hearts. However, when they gasped for air, there was applause and cheers from head coach Yang Chen from the sidelines. When the U17 national football players walked off the field, He Xi, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Football Association, who was the head of the team's delegation, high-fived them one by one to show their encouragement.
"In terms of mental outlook, I am quite satisfied with the performance of the players in the first game," Yang Chen commented in a remote interview with Beiqing News after returning to the hotel.
In the 59th minute of the game, Sun Kangbo, who had assisted Wang Yudong's goal, was replaced by Qian Yuanfan. Television footage showed that Mr. Son appeared to have been forced off because of leg cramps. Information passed by the team after the game showed that he suffered a slight strain on his leg due to his hard work on the field. The coaching staff replaced him, in fact, to prevent him from aggravating his injury.
Judging from such a passive substitution, the U17 national football team did fight fiercely in the game that night, but also because of the debut in such a high-level final stage of the competition, the players inevitably became nervous. Yang Chen, who was born as an excellent player, felt the same way. "The players did their best," he said. After all, this is the first game. In fact, everyone is stressed. The weather in Thailand, everyone knows. We happen to adopt this kind of active pressing style again, and the physical consumption of the players is very large. This style of play objectively puts higher demands on our physical fitness. So, we basically run out of substitutions every game. ”
Because of a mistake by the goalkeeper, 3 points became 1 point, which made all the U17 team members, including the protagonist Xie Gongbo, deeply regretted. However, Yang Chen always maintained a positive and optimistic mood when interviewed by a reporter from Beiqing News. Yang Chen said: "Through the first game, our players felt and gradually adapted to the rhythm of this competition. I'm sure the team will get better and better in the future. I am generally satisfied with today's game, especially in terms of mental outlook. ”
In the eyes of some insiders, the team was tied when it was in the lead, partly due to a certain lack of players' ability to read the game. As the manager, Yang Chen did not shy away from the problems exposed by the team in this game. He said: "We showed good things and we didn't do well in the game. After the game, we slowly summarized. From now on, we are ready for the second round match against Australia. We must look forward. ”
Before the match between China and Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia U17 team in the same group defeated Australia U17 team 2-0. Although Yang Chen missed watching the match between Mosa and Macao because he went to the competition venue with the team. However, the Chinese coach and other members of the management team watched at least the second half of the game between the two teams. For the Australian U17 team, some insiders commented: "The Australian team actually played well, but the mentality did not adjust after conceding the goal. So in the next round, we have to keep fighting. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Zhao