Preamble:
The top 8 of the U23 Asian Cup were all born, the Chinese team was eliminated with 1 win and 2 losses, and Thailand and Iraq advanced hand in hand. From the official start of the competition on January 8 to the end of the group stage in the early morning of April 24, the 2022 Asian Football U23 Championship, which is also known as the U23 Asian Cup, has accompanied us for nearly 4 months, experiencing fierce competition and suspenseful matches.
In this U23 Asian Cup, a total of 16 teams participated, divided into A, B, C, D four groups, of which the Chinese team and the Thai team were both divided into Group C, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq were divided into Group B outside Group C, so the schedule of this Asian Cup undoubtedly brought us a new perspective of the two teams of China and Thailand, respectively, and the Middle East powerhouses.
One: The Thai team is out of the group, and Saudi Arabia and Iraq advance together.
In the first two rounds of competition, the Thai team and the Saudi team have 6 points, while the Iraqi team is 2-1, ranked third, and can only rely on the best results in the qualifying situation to advance, so before the final round of the game, the qualification situation of Group C is regarded by the outside world as a fierce competition between the three teams of Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and it is also one of the most focused points.
After the first two rounds, the performance of the Thai team is undoubtedly impressive, they not only won all three points in the match against Iraq, but also won the game against Saudi Arabia, so in the standings, the Thai team is temporarily ranked first, and for the two teams of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, if they want to advance smoothly, they must take all three points in the final round of the game.
Two: Saudi Arabia lost 1-2 to Iraq, and Thailand was killed in 91 minutes.
In the early hours of this morning, the final round of Group C officially began, the Saudi team ushered in a strong dialogue with Iraq, while the Thai team was against the relatively weak Tajikistan team, and in the process of competing for these two games, both Saudi Arabia and Thailand almost encountered an unexpected embarrassing situation.
First of all, the Saudi Arabian team, in the first two rounds of the game, their performance can be said to be very good, not only to defeat Iraq, but also to win smoothly against Thailand, so before the final round of matches, their qualifying situation is also far ahead, and there is no suspense to become a team that appears in the top 8 list.
However, perhaps due to the slight strength of the enemy, coupled with the tenacious fighting spirit of the Iraqi team under the leadership of Paul Gill, the Saudi team suffered an unexpected defeat in the match against Iraq, and when they saw their offensive finisher being perfectly blocked by the opponent, they could not help but feel anxious and helpless.
In the other game, the Thai team also fell into a passive situation, although in the first 90 minutes of the game, they have been attacking with all their might, trying to fight for a chance for themselves, but when the game entered the injury time, they were in the middle of trying to protect their goal, they were hit by the opponent's fatal blow, allowing the opponent to score smoothly, which can be said to be a shadow on the road to the Thai team's promotion.
Three: Japan lost 0-1 to South Korea, and China narrowly defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-1.
In addition to the match in Group C, late last night, Group B also played the final round of competition, and in the process of these two games, it also brought unexpected surprises to people, especially in the duel between South Korea and Japan, the South Korean team won the surprise victory over Japan with a wonderful goal, and the Chinese team successfully won after ushering in the same game with Crister Junho.
Through the results of these two games, South Korea and Japan are also 2-1, but with good goals, South Korea finally managed to advance to the top 8, and Japan also qualified for the qualification, but the pressure they face is much greater than that of South Korea, because they need to train harder in the next games to fight all the way to the final of the U23 Asian Cup.
For the Chinese team, being able to achieve a victory is undoubtedly an increase in their confidence in the Asian Cup, and it also makes more fans full of expectations for the future of Chinese football, hoping that they can play better in the next games and win glory for the country.
Epilogue:
The group stage of the U23 Asian Cup can be called a gripping scene after scene, whether it is Group A, Group B, or Group C, Group D, each team is on the field, doing their best, bringing the audience a wonderful matchup, and in these games, we can not only see the football strength of each country, but also can feel their tenacious fighting spirit, as well as indomitable sportsmanship.
From these games, there is no doubt that our Chinese team, as well as the teams of other countries, have provided some valuable experience and lessons, I hope they can continue to improve, overcome difficulties, and achieve better results in the next games, and I also believe that through the competition of each game, we will be able to inject more passion and vitality into our football.