Asian Cup run reignites soccer hope

Team China's inspiring run at the U23 Asian Cup tournament has provided a shot in the arm for the country's soccer fraternity, drawing attention to the importance of developing young talent to bring about a much-needed change in fortune for the sport in China.

A convincing 3-0 semifinal victory over Vietnam on Tuesday secured China's youth squad its first ever final berth at the biennial tournament, offering the country's diehard fans a respite from the woes dogging the underachieving senior national team.

Facing a buoyant Vietnamese side, which cruised into the semis with four straight wins, the Chinese under-23 squad kicked off the match sticking to its pragmatic tactics of keeping the Southeast Asian side at bay with solid defense in the first half at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Guided by Spanish coach Antonio Puche, China went into overdrive in the second half, throwing a quick one-two punch — centerback Peng Xiao's 47th-minute header and striker Xiang Yuwang's low shot five minutes later — to take control of the match, before star forward Wang Yudong's stoppage-time strike sealed the dream win.

Team China will now build on its defensive strength, underlined by keeping clean sheets across five matches at the tournament, to challenge continental powerhouse Japan in its first-ever final showing at the U23 tournament. It did not advance beyond the group stage in the previous five editions.

Puche, who took over as coach of the squad in 2023 at the under-21 level, attributed the breakthrough to meticulous preparations while hailing the win as a morale booster for Chinese soccer at a trying time.

"This success comes after nearly 50 days of nonstop work. Hard work is essential if you want to achieve something, you must put in the effort every single day," said Puche, a former pro with Spanish La Liga 2 clubs who was signed by the Chinese Football Association in 2018 as a youth coach.

"It's important to enjoy this victory, not just for the players, but also for the staff. Moments like this are significant for football in China as we continue to work toward improving the game," he said. "Today we will enjoy this moment, and from tomorrow we will start preparing for Japan. They are a strong team, but we will fight to the end."

In an earlier semifinal match, Japan outplayed South Korea 1-0 to advance into Saturday's final.

With their confidence at a new high after the history-making win, the Chinese players are determined to win in the final showdown against Japan.

"It's like a wild dream come true," 22-year-old Xiang, who scored China's second goal, said after the match. "Now we are heading into the final without any pressure on us. We will just stay relaxed and play the best we can to try to win the championship."

The last time a Chinese men's soccer team made it to the final of a continental level tournament was 22 years ago when the senior squad reached the 2004 Asian Cup final at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, before losing 1-3 to Japan.

Tuesday's brilliant show by the under-23 team comes as a much-needed consolation for Chinese fans who were left devastated when the senior national team missed out on FIFA World Cup qualification in June for a frustrating sixth straight time.

As excitement builds globally for this summer's World Cup, China's senior national program has had to move on and prepare for a shot at the 2030 edition, with pundits and fans alike urging the CFA and domestic league clubs to focus more on talent development at the youth level.

A quick fix with temporary remedies has proved futile for the senior national program, which has squandered huge sums of money and resources on its previous failed World Cup-qualifying attempts, hiring expensive, big-name foreign coaches and introducing naturalized Brazilian-born players.

"I think the U23 squad's breakout run at the Asian Cup is a sobering wake-up call that only by investing in youth, with consistent efforts and a long-term plan, can we succeed in rebuilding the game," said Yang Chen, a former Team China striker who represented the country at its sole World Cup finals in 2002.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn