In the 2024 Qatar U23 Asian Cup, on the evening of April 22, the Chinese Olympic team ushered in the final round of the group and competed in a "friendly match" with the United Arab Emirates. In this game, China performed well in the Olympic Games, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-1 and was able to leave with one victory.
U23 Asian Cup standings
The Chinese Olympic team lost the previous 2 games and was out of the group 1 round in advance. In the final round against the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese Olympic team took a two-goal lead in the first half, conceded one goal shortly after the start of the second half, but fortunately held on in the end, defeating the opponent 2-1 and scoring three points. The Chinese team ended the U23 Asian Cup journey with 1 win, 2 losses and 3 points, scoring 2 goals and conceding 1 goal.
In this group, the South Korean team won 3 consecutive wins to win the group, and the quarterfinals will face Indonesia. Japan finished second in the group and will face the host Qatar in the quarter-finals. The UAE team lost all three games in the group stage and finished at the bottom of the group.
In Group A, Qatar qualified for the top spot with seven points, while Indonesia performed well and beat Australia with six points to advance to the knockout rounds. The situation in Group C is undecided for the time being, and the Saudi team has 6 points in a favorable situation, and the final round without losing will ensure promotion. In Group D, Uzbekistan and Vietnam have 6 points, both of which have secured the qualification in one round in advance, and will compete for the top spot in the group in the final round.
China Olympic 2-1 UAE Olympic Games
This match is a battle of honor for both sides, and they will say goodbye to each other after the game. The two sides competed in the same group in the preliminary stage, when the Chinese Olympic team sat in Dalian to face their opponents, and the two sides drew 0-0.
The match was played at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, where the Chinese Olympic team played their previous two matches. The referee was Hussein Yahya from Lebanon and the VAR referee was Siwakorn Buudun from Thailand.
Starting line-ups for both sides
The Chinese team is led by head coach Cheng Yaodong, led by Bai Helamu single striker, Xie Wenneng and Liu Zhurun follow closely to support, midfielders Ruan Qilong, Jia Feifei, Tao Qianglong and Duan Dezhi, Yang Zihao, Liang Shaowen and Jin Shunkai in the backline, and Li Hao in the goalkeeper position.
The UAE team is led by head coach Broli and stars Hazim Mohammed, Kharib Suhail and Fahd Barut, midfielders Sultan Ali, Abdullah Hamad and Ahmed Faqi, and Mohammed Abdul Rahman, Mayed Teneji, Mohammed Youssef, Zayed Sultan and goalkeeper Khalid Tavid.
Game recap
In the 9th minute of the opening game, the UAE attack caused Jia Feifei to own a goal, but fortunately, the opponent's offside was invalid in the first goal. In the 20th minute, the opponent cleared the siege and turned into an assist, Xie Wenneng scored a powerful volley near the penalty spot, and the Chinese Olympic team finally ushered in the first goal. In the 45+5th minute, Liu Zhurun quickly advanced to the penalty area with a steal in the backfield, and scored with a strong volley, giving the Chinese Olympic team a 2-0 lead.
As soon as the second half began, Baihelam scored 1 goal, but unfortunately it was offside. In the 48th minute, the Chinese team's defense was not tight, the UAE's long pass penetrated the defensive line, Ahmed Faqi stopped the ball and shot in one go, and the UAE team chased 1-2. After that, the score was not rewritten, and the Chinese Olympic team had the last laugh, defeating the opponent 2-1 and ending the U23 Asian Cup journey with victory.
China Olympic subs: Huang Zihao, Yu Jinyong, Hu Hetao, Liu Haofan, Zhu Yue, Abrahan Khaliq, Chen Yuhao, Liu Junxian, Wang Yudong, Eiffelding, Du Yuezheng, Xu Bin.
UAE National Olympic subs: Rakan al-Menhali, Hamad Abdullah, Khamis al-Mansouri, Bedr Abbael-Aziz, Abdullah Bellushi, Mubarak Zama, Ahmed Mahmoud, Mohammed Abbas, Mohammed Al-Bellushi, Yasser Belushi, Abdullah Ahmed, Sultan Adil.
Japan 0-1 South Korea 0-1
Japan and South Korea competed for top of their group at the Al Rayyan-Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, refereed by Saudi Arabia's Majid al-Shamrani and VAR referee Abdullah al-Shehri from Saudi Arabia. The two sides exchanged a goalless draw in the first half, and the deadlock was broken in the 75th minute, when Kim Min-woo scored with a header to give South Korea a 1-0 lead. After that, the score was not rewritten, and the South Korean team emerged victorious.