On April 26, Beijing time, the world football situation rose again, Manchester City defeated Brighton by 4 goals in the Premier League rematch to return to the second place in the standings, Rome reversed and defeated Udinese in the rematch, Japan and Indonesia advanced to the semifinals in U23 Asia, and South Korea was eliminated from the Paris Olympics in a penalty shootout. Let's take a look at the highlights of each matchup.
Brighton & Hove Albion - Manchester City
Welbeck's volley from inside the box was saved, and Brighton took the lead on the counter-attack to stun their opponents. City disregarded this set of solid possession, and used a more delicate penetration to tear open gaps in the defence to create set-piece opportunities, and Ake volleyed over the crossbar. City's high-pressure attack broke through the defence again, and Walker broke through the bottom and crossed into the box with precision. Kevin De Bruyne caught the opportunity and swooped in to find the back of the net to take the lead. Brighton counter-attacked with a corner and Dunk's header was saved again. City's attacking breakthrough threatened, with Alvarez volleying wide from a tight angle and De Bruyne being saved from distance. In the 25th minute, Foden took a free kick into the net to extend the score. Refraction. Manchester City's high-pressure pressing forced Brighton to make frequent mistakes at the back, and in the 35th minute, Bernardo stepped up in front of the penalty area to intercept, and Foden met the ball and pushed the far corner to complete the double ring. Alvarez scored in the 62nd minute from the middle of the penalty area. In the end, Manchester City beat Brighton 4-0.
Udinese-Roma
The two teams were interrupted due to an accident when they met 11 days ago, and the game resumed from the 71st minute in the early morning of the 26th. Earlier in the game, the two sides exchanged attacks and defences, with Oyar and Samarzic squandering a chance each. Udinese continued to attack, and in the 23rd minute, Roberto took advantage of Huyson's mistake to push home a one-handed shot to give Udinese the lead. Roma counter-attacked, Lukaku headed wide and Paredes fired high from outside the box. Roma returned to the second half to continue their high-pressure attack, and in the 66th minute, Cristante provided a precise assist, and Lukaku scored the equaliser with a header. After resuming the game in the 71st minute, Luka and Azmoun each had a threatening shot saved. In stoppage time, Dybala was unmarked at the top of the arc, but his powerful shot was blocked, and another chance was missed. In the 95th minute, Cristante received a precise corner cross from Dybala and headed it to the stunner, Roma reversed Udinese 2-1, ranking 5th with 58 points, 4 points away from Bologna, Udinese ranked 17th and on the verge of the relegation zone.
Two overtime games in the U23 Asian Cup
Qatar-Japan
Facing the host Qatar, Japan opened the game and won the game, and Toyoki Yamada made a steal and scored a goal. Qatar counterattacked strongly, taking advantage of the opponent's high ball defense and weak defense, nodding the hammer to score. In the second half, Abdulsalam once again took advantage of Japan's weak header to score a goal to overtake the score. Seiji Kimura equalised with a header in the same way. In extra time, Japan scored two goals in a row to win 4-2 and advance to the semifinals.
South Korea-Indonesia
South Korea met Indonesia in the first round of the knockout round, this Southeast Asian dark horse was full of color, and South Korea was very embarrassed, Struk scored two goals in the half, and South Korea's Yoon Ji-sung made the opponent to pull one back. Lee Yong-jun, who came on as a substitute in the second half, was sent off, and South Korea's desperate counterattack, with one man less, equalized in the 84th minute by Hong Yin's counter-strike. In the penalty shootout, the two teams took turns to bombard, and in the 12th round, Li Kangxi's penalty shot was saved, and finally Indonesia sent South Korea away 13-12. Reaching the Asian Cup finals for the first time and successfully advancing to the semi-finals, Indonesia made history. South Korea's exit means they will miss out on the men's football competition at the Paris Olympics.