On the evening of September 6, the 2024 U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers and the Asian Qualifiers of the Paris Olympic Games Men's Football Qualifiers were staged as scheduled.
Against the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese Olympic team, playing at home in Dalian, will need to try to score as much goal difference as possible against India.
The Chinese team missed a good opportunity.
The Maldives withdrew from the tournament and the first battle became a life-and-death battle
In the pre-match group draw, China Guoao was placed in a group with the United Arab Emirates, India and Maldives, which was a good spot overall.
The Chinese team withdrew from the last U23 Asian Cup two years ago, so it can only participate as a fourth-tier team. As a result, before the game, there were another surprise.
According to the original schedule, the first place in the 11 group stages and the second place in the 4 best groups can qualify for the main event of the U23 Asian Cup, and then qualify for the Olympic Games. For the Chinese team, the best result is undoubtedly overwhelming the UAE to finish first in the group.
But the day before the match, the Maldives withdrew, leaving only three teams in the group, with China in the fourth tier, and according to the schedule, the first round must first play the first seed team - the UAE. Then the Chinese team will play India, the United Arab Emirates and India at the end of the match.
In this way, once the Chinese team cannot beat the UAE in the first game, then the initiative to qualify cannot be in their own hands, and if the two sides draw, the UAE can try to get more goal difference in the third game to ensure the first place in the group according to the goal difference of the second Chinese team.
Therefore, for the Chinese team, the first game has become a life and death battle, and if you want to qualify, it is better to win directly.
North Korea has previously announced its withdrawal from the competition to qualify for second place in the group, while hosts Qatar will only count as friendly matches when they participate in the group stage. In the event of a withdrawal from the Maldives, the results will only be calculated based on the mutual records of the top three teams in the group.
For the Chinese team, after drawing with the United Arab Emirates in the first game, if they can beat India by a big score in the second game, they also have a chance to become the second place in the best group.
The manager said he was well prepared
Faced with the grim situation, Olympic team coach Cheng Yaodong called on the team to fight to the end, "This is the first match of our group, and the clash with the UAE is an encounter. It is also an opportunity and a challenge for us. ”
"Most of our players will represent the national team in the U Series continental competition for the last time, and I believe that the players will cherish it very much, play with spirit and tenacity in the game, and play the spirit of never giving up and the determination to fight to the end."
In order to prepare for this Olympic qualifier, Cheng Yaodong has led the team to Croatia, Belgium and other countries for a long time in the past two years, and Cheng Yaodong is more satisfied with the state of the team, "Strictly speaking, this team has been preparing for more than three years, and I think our preparation for more than three years is relatively sufficient." ”
"The team passed a full assessment and based on their current status, including mental level and ability in the competition, we determined the final squad. I also want the players to give their best. ”
In this game, the starting lineup of the National Olympic Team was discharged in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the goalkeeper Ji Tao, and the four defenders were Yang Zihao, Liu Haofan, Liang Shaowen, Zhu Yue; Wang Yu and Duan Dezhi partner in a double back, attacking midfielders are Mu Talifu, Tao Qianglong, Eiffelding, and Liu Zhurun single-arrow forward.
In the first half, China had several chances to score in front of goal, but they failed to convert into goals, and the two sides ended the first half 0-0. In the second half, the two sides had chances but failed to score and the game ended 0-0.
According to the schedule, the Chinese Olympic team will play India on the evening of September 9.