On February 12, the 2025 AFC China U20 Asian Cup officially kicked off. In the first round of Group A, the Chinese team, playing at home, defeated the Qatar team 2:1 and got off to a good start.
The opening match of this event was held at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Stadium. A concise and wonderful opening ceremony was held before the game, with drone performances highlighting the charm of Shenzhen, a technological city. The national flags of the 16 participating teams also appeared together, and the highest level of youth football in Asia kicked off.
After the game started, the Chinese team launched a fierce attack on the Qatar team’s goal from the beginning of the first half. In the 11th minute, Yang Xi intercepted the ball and dribbled past three people and was fouled. Wang Yudong’s free kick was confiscated. This was the first scoring opportunity created by the Chinese team since the whistle.
In the 17th minute, Mao Weijie intercepted the ball in the frontcourt and sent a wonderful pass. No. 10 Kuai Jiwen got the ball and shot into the far corner to score the first goal. 4 minutes later, Yi Mulan Mamtim received the ball and dribbled past the defense to send a diagonal pass. Chen Zeshi got the ball and made a straight pass. No. 9 Liu Chengyu quickly moved forward to form a single shot. After dribbling past Qatar’s goalkeeper Osman, he pushed the empty goal and helped the Chinese team take a 2:0 lead.
In the 27th minute, Qatar’s Guda passed four people in a row and cut in and hit the post with a low shot. 5 minutes later, the Chinese team used a corner kick to play a tactical match, and Kuai Jiwen’s volley was confiscated. Before the end of the first half, Wang Yudong took a free kick and shot, but was saved by Qatar’s goalkeeper Osman.
After the change of sides, the two teams continued to attack. In the 55th minute, Qatar’s Jamshid dribbled into the penalty area and made a reverse triangle pass. No. 16 Faragala made a shovel shot and scored. In the 61st minute, Chen Zeshi’s powerful long-range shot was saved by Osman. Afterwards, the two teams began to deploy their troops, and Qatar tried to equalize the score, but the situation continued to be controlled by the Chinese team. In the first minute of injury time in the second half, Wang Yudong of the Chinese team fell to the ground in the penalty area, and the follow-up forward Du Yuezheng failed to intercept, and the Chinese team missed the opportunity to expand the score.
In the end, the score of 2:1 was maintained until the end, and the Chinese team won the first round of the group stage.
After the game, China’s head coach Djurjevic said: “I am very satisfied with the result of the game. China has made a very good start in the final stage of the U20 Asian Cup, but the next game is the most important.”
The hero of the first goal, Kuai Jiwen, said: “Before the game, the team studied the Qatar team very thoroughly, focusing on Qatar’s No. 9 Gundam and No. 10 Hassan. Everyone executed very well and took a 2:0 lead in the first half. Including the first goal, this is also the tactic arranged by the head coach. We have to press high in the frontcourt, and that goal is also an opportunity to grab it.”
In this 2025 AFC China U20 Asian Cup, China is in the same group with Australia, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar. The top two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals, and the top four teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. On the first round of the group stage, in another match in the same group, Australia defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-1. At 19:30 on February 15, the Chinese team will play against Kyrgyzstan at the Shenzhen Baoan Sports Center Stadium.
Post time: Feb-19-2025