On the football field, there are always endless possibilities. A seemingly doomed defeat can be transformed into a miracle in the blink of an eye. The match between China and South Korea in the 2024 U23 Asian Cup is such an exciting sports story.
Before the game, the situation of the Chinese Olympic Games can be described as a desperate situation. In the first game of the group stage against Japan, although they had a numerical advantage in the early stages, they lost due to poor execution of the last kick. Facing the Asian powerhouse South Korea, the Chinese team's hope of qualifying is as slim as a candle flame.
However, head coach Cheng Yaodong did not give up. As a veteran coach who won the Chinese Super League championship during his tenure in Guangzhou, he clearly understands the value of life. In order to set off a miracle, he boldly used two new recruits Liu Zhurun and Xie Wenneng in the starting lineup, hoping that their momentum and vitality can inject new impetus into the team.
Sure enough, as soon as the opening of the Chinese National Olympics showed an unprecedented state of excitement. The leading winger Baihelam tore through the opponent's defense with amazing explosiveness, and in the 11th minute, he rode alone into the South Korean penalty area, but unfortunately missed a good opportunity with a shot high above the bottom line. But this is undoubtedly a slap in the face of the opponent, and it is a reminder that young Chinese players are no longer as submissive as they used to be.
Just three minutes later, Baihelam once again used his superior physical ability to break through the opponent's defense, facing the South Korean goalkeeper alone, but he could not put the ball in the goal. Such a single waste must have made head coach Cheng Yaodong embarrassed several times. However, it is the so-called strong wind and rain that can give birth to big trees - it can be seen that China's Olympic Games are gradually moving towards maturity.
In the 20th minute, Baihelam once again shot with the ball in the penalty area, but unfortunately the ball slid out of the small corner on the right side of the goal. This series of offensive opportunities undoubtedly caught the South Korean players off guard. The Chinese team, which was passively beaten in the past, was so aggressive this time, which was amazing.
However, in the middle of the fierce battle, a small mistake turned into a catastrophe. In the 35th minute, a regular through ball was countered by South Korea, and the Chinese Olympic defense was in a hurry, allowing Lee Yongjun to open the record. At this moment, a tragic atmosphere suddenly permeated the entire stadium - the Chinese team was aggressive in the front, but the backcourt once again exposed shameful defensive flaws.
In the face of such adversity, this is by no means the first time that China has experienced the Olympic Games. Prior to this, they had been denounced as "vulnerable" by the outside world. However, they never gave up their determination to work hard. Entering the second half, with the accumulation of physical strength, the attack of the Chinese National Olympic Games made a comeback again.
In the 68th minute, Xie Wenneng suddenly inserted, cleared all obstacles, and made a desperate shot. Unfortunately, the opportunity created by this struggle was once again not taken and the South Korean goalkeeper closed the door. Just when people regretted it, the South Korean team played a counterattack and soon expanded the score to 2:0.
This is undoubtedly a shot in the arm, which extinguished the fighting spirit of the Chinese team at the beginning. Although the manager then made two changes and repeatedly called on the players to give their best, the desperation may have spread. In the final stage of the game, Cheng Yaodong, who was desperate, even sent goalkeeper Jin Yong to the front line to sprint, trying to fight back in search of a miracle. Unfortunately, this decision was only a stopgap measure, as the team's fitness was already seriously exhausted.
In this way, in the end, China's National Olympic Games lost 0:2 to South Korea's National Olympic Games. Although the results were not ideal, we saw the young Chinese players fighting bravely in desperate situations. Xie Wenneng and Baihelam each wasted a good chance in this race, which may be a heavy experience for them to climb the peak in the future.
After the game, Cheng Yaodong bluntly said that the offensive tactics in the first half were very successful, and the players were also full of enthusiasm to execute, but the substitution scheduling was a little too slow, which would make the situation develop in an unfavorable direction step by step. Still, the experienced head coach is looking forward to the future. He admitted that in the next game against the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese Olympic team will still use counterattack tactics - after all, the opponent's defensive ability is no longer a problem. As long as they can not waste opportunities in the attack, the Chinese team may be able to usher in a breakthrough battle.
This thrilling battle witnessed the tenacious will of the Chinese Olympic Games to fight for survival in a desperate situation. Although they still lost in the end, the attacking power and tenacious style shown by the players have regained confidence in Chinese football. Cheng Yaodong once proudly said: "We are the hope of the young generation of China, and we should fight with pride of ourselves." "Indeed, in this young team full of vitality, we see the light of hope for Chinese football.
Although the road to the Asian Cup may come to an abrupt end here, I believe that after this valuable exercise, the Chinese Olympic Games will be revitalized in the future and inject new vitality into Chinese football. After all, miracles often happen when people fight back in desperation. Let's wait and see and look forward to a new round of glory for Chinese football!