In the first match of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup, the national football team lost 0-1 to the Japanese team. Although they failed to seize the advantage of playing one more game to reverse the game, the National Olympic Games still have a chance to reverse the promotion.
This national Olympic team was originally regarded as the weakest national Olympic team in history, and it was also the youngest national Olympic team in history. Not only that, but the National Olympic Games are also in the group of death with Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, and "scoring 1 goal, scoring 1 point, and winning 1 game" has become the most realistic goal. Although the National Olympic Games have never made it to the Olympics through the U23 Asian Cup, there is no shortage of precedents for youth teams at all levels to reach the group of death in other competitions.
In the 2014 U19 Asian Youth Championships, the national youth team led by Wei Shihao, Gao Zhunyi and Zhang Xiu was in the same group as Japan and South Korea. In the first round against the Japanese team, Wei Shihao scored twice, Takumi Minamino scored one goal for the Japanese team, and the national youth finally won with a score of 2-1.
Subsequently, the national youth team and the South Korean team exchanged blanks, drew 1-1 with the Vietnamese team, and finally advanced to the group with a goal difference disadvantage, and the South Korean team was eliminated.
In the 2023 U20 Asian Cup, the 93 national youth team coached by Antonio is in the same group as Saudi Arabia and Japan. In the first game against the Japanese team, the national youth was scored twice by the opponent when they scored the first goal. In the second round of the group stage, Mutalifu and Xu Bin each scored a goal, and the national youth defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0.
In the third round against Kyrgyzstan, the two teams ended up with a 1-1 draw. The national youth beat Saudi Arabia and advanced to the knockout round with the second place in the group, and reached the quarterfinals of the U20 Asian Cup again after 9 years. It is worth mentioning that Baihelam, Eiffelding, Liu Haofan, Hu Hetao, etc. all participated in this U20 Asian Cup.
In the situation of one more person, the National Olympic Games also created many good opportunities to score, but unfortunately failed to seize the opportunity. Being able to take the initiative against Japan and create a scoring opportunity shows that the national Olympic team still has a chance against South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
However, after losing the first game, the national Olympic team will usher in a life-and-death battle in the second round, and if they lose to the South Korean team, the national Olympic team will be eliminated early.