At 21 o'clock on April 22, Beijing time, the Chinese Olympic Games will usher in the final round of the U23 Asian Cup group stage at the Khalifa Stadium in Qatar and match the UAE Olympic team. Since both teams have lost 2 consecutive goals and conceded 3 goals in the previous group stage, they have been out of the tournament in advance, so this game has become a veritable "battle of honor" for both teams. In addition, this is also very likely to be the last game of coach Cheng Yaodong in charge of the National Olympic Games.
【Overview of the National Olympic Games】
In the first two rounds of the group stage, the Chinese Olympic team lost two consecutive games, and in the first round, it still lost 0-1 to the Japanese team when it played one more person in the first half. In the second round, many good opportunities were wasted, losing 0-2 to South Korea, in that game, the national Olympic team scored 0 goals with 5 shots on target, while the South Korean team scored 2 goals with 2 shots on target. This has once again exposed the serious problem of the lack of ability to seize opportunities in the National Olympic Games and sports warfare.
【Final Round Target】
In the final round of the game, although it has been reduced to a "battle of honor", the National Olympic Games still has a goal to complete, that is, to try to avoid the worst record in the team's history in the Asian Cup. In 2020, the National Olympic Games lost all 3 games in the U23 Asian Cup, conceded 4 goals without scoring. At present, the National Olympic Games, which have lost two consecutive games and conceded three goals, are approaching this shameful record. Moreover, since the national Olympic team defeated the Oman team 3-0 in the first game in 2018, it has suffered 7 consecutive defeats in the U23 Asian Cup.
Facing the United Arab Emirates in the final round, the Chinese Olympic team not only strives to score one goal, but also strives to win the draw and avoid the embarrassing record of 8 consecutive defeats in the U23 Asian Cup.
【Initial Prediction】
In this game, the coach of the National Olympic Games, Cheng Yaodong, may make a larger rotation of the lineup, giving some players who have not played in the first two rounds a chance to appear and prove themselves. Like Li Hao, Xu Bin and others, who performed well in the U20 Asian Cup last year, are expected to get the first opportunity. and Wang Yudong, Du Yuezheng and others, who are still school-age players in the next U23 Asian Cup, are also expected to start. Of course, the substitute goalkeeper Kim Yong, who played a cameo role as a center forward in the first two games, may also play the same story again in this game.
China Olympic Games expected to start (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Li Hao
Defenders: Xu Bin, Ruan Qilong, Liang Shaowen, Yang Zihao
Defenders: Duan Dezhi, Abrahan
Avant-garde: Liu Zhurun, Tao Qianglong, Wang Yudong
Forward: Bai Helamu (Du Yuezheng)
[Pre-match sound]
Cheng Yaodong (National Olympic Coach): The result of the team's failure to qualify is cruel, and playing the UAE team, winning is the undoubted goal. I hope that my players will continue to move forward with this desire to win from now on. I also hope that we can finish this Olympic preliminary round with a victory.
【Featured Players】
Baihelam (China)
In this Asian Cup, Baihelam is a player who has played a better role in the Chinese Olympic team. Despite failing to score and squandering a few chances, his aggressive scrambling up front, excellent ball protection and good physicality proved that the 21-year-old striker may be a worthy prospect for the future of the national team.
Some domestic media have revealed that Baihelam even has the opportunity to be selected for the national team's round of 36 in June and be inspected by national football coach Ivankovic. He is also the candidate who has high hopes for the National Olympic Games to break the ball drought in this Asian Cup.
【Editor's Prediction】
The gap between the strength of the National Olympic Games and the UAE will obviously be much smaller than that of Japan and South Korea, as long as the performance is normal, the two teams have the opportunity to shake hands and get 1 point each to avoid the embarrassment of 0 points. Considering the poor grasp of the national Olympic team, the score may be 0-0 or 1-1.