In the first round of the group stage of the U23 Asian Cup, the national Olympic team lost 0-1 to the Japanese team. In the final moments, goalkeeper Kim Yong came off the bench to play as a center forward, causing a huge controversy. However, such examples are not uncommon.
The desperate substitution sparked controversy
The use of rushing tactics to find a good opportunity to break the goal is obviously intentional. The national team is the tallest team with the average height of this year's U23 Asian Cup, with seven of the players starting the game who are over 1.85m tall, compared to three for Japan.
After the start of the second half, Cheng Yaodong replaced Du Yuezheng with 1.85 meters, and at the last moment, he was replaced by Yu Jinyong, the tallest in this Asian Cup, to form a twin tower combination. Yu Jinyong played his part, and the scramble in the box also allowed Xie Wen to get a shot on goal.
Such a substitution has caused dissatisfaction among the media and fans, however, this is not Cheng Yaodong's head is hot. Media person Zhao Zhen revealed, "At the last moment, the Chinese team replaced the 2-meter-tall substitute goalkeeper Jin Yong with a striker, and his father was the old Liaozu Jin left-footed Yu Ming." Jin Yong was a frontcourt player who practiced since he was younger, and then he was too tall to change the goalkeeper. ”
"At the last moment, daring to replace the 2-meter goalkeeper Yu Jinyong to play the striker is also a ruin, but unfortunately most of the players' long passes can't find Yu Jinyong's head, but Yu Jinyong's straight plug almost caused an assist. ”
Ding Xu also revealed, "During the preparation for the U23 Asian preliminaries in Dalian, Cheng Yaodong asked Yu Jinyong to try the center in training, but he didn't use it in the two games of the U23 Asian preliminaries, and this time the Olympic preliminaries can be regarded as useful." ”
When explaining this substitution, Cheng Yaodong revealed, "Yu Jinyong is a goalkeeper, he is more than 2 meters tall, he has a good foundation for playing football since he was a child, and his header ability is very strong. I had this idea in the preparation for the match, and I could use him to impact the opponent in the last few minutes. There was a scene like this in today's game, so I replaced him on the field. As for the actual combat effect, it can only be said that it is half to half, and the time is so short to fight for a few opportunities, but he is not an authentic center after all. ”
It is not uncommon for goalkeepers to play as center forwards
In the third round of the 2019 FA Cup, Changchun Yatai played against Nantong Zhiyun, and Changchun Yatai goalkeeper Liu Yu came off the bench to play a cameo as a center forward, completing his career debut.
Also in 2019, Tianjin Tianhai played Guangzhou R&F at home, and Ma Zhen also came off the bench as a striker. Of course, this is all because of the Football Association's Under-23 policy.
However, in the men's football match of the 2013 National Games, Tianjin goalkeeper Du Jia once played a cameo as a center forward. Like Yu Jinyong, Du Jia was also born as a center forward, and then changed to a goalkeeper. It is worth mentioning that Du Jia later became the main goalkeeper of TEDA, and was also selected for the national football training team in 2016.
In addition, Luo Zuqing, who used to play for Meizhou Hakka, played as a goalkeeper and striker at the same time when he played for Rizhiquan, and also helped the team win the third place in the Central League. After switching to Jianye in 2015, Luo Zuqing served as a striker in his debut in the Chinese Super League.
Such examples are not uncommon in international football, with Manchester City boss Pierce making James a cameo in the final round of the 2004/05 Premier League season. With no one available, England boss Christian Eriksen has also considered such an option.
The most amazing of all was Manuel Neuer, who played for Schalke 04 in 2004 as a cameo striker against Borussia Dortmund and scored a crucial goal.