On the evening of March 6, China U20 defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the second match, Group D of the Asian tournament.
On the Milliy field, Saudi Arabia created an overwhelming game with the ball holding rate sometimes exceeding the threshold of 70%. However, the offensive efforts of the representatives of the Middle East might not win once morest the rolling of the majority defense on the Chinese side.
Goalkeeper Li Hao had a sublime day with a series of saves, all following dangerous close-range situations of the Saudi attack.
China defended with discipline and took advantage of the first remarkable opportunity from the start to score the opening goal. In the 65th minute, Mutellip Iminqari, a substitute in the second half, dribbled a technical ball from the left wing, before hitting a dangerous shot into the far corner, defeating goalkeeper Al Mermesh.
After having the advantage, China continued to deploy the annoying stalking game. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia showed impatience. In the 72nd minute, the white team raised the squad and revealed a wide gap in the defense.
Mutellip continued to make his mark with a break down following Aifeierding Aisikaer’s slit, before stretching across just enough for Xu Bin to come in, finish close to the wall, doubling the gap for China U20.
| Attack a lot but might not score, U20 Saudi Arabia paid a heavy price by conceding 2 times. |
In the remaining 20 minutes, coach Al Mohammadi made a series of adjustments in attack. However, U20 Saudi Arabia only has one more significant opportunity. In the 76th minute, Abdullah Radif finished close to the wall following a cross on the right. However, the winner is still goalkeeper Li Hao.
China U20 won 2-0, thereby widening the door to the quarterfinals of the Asian tournament. In the last match, coach Puche Vicente’s teachers and students only had to meet Kyrgyzstan, the team that was rated the weakest in the group, while Saudi Arabia would have to face the Japanese champion candidate.
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| The situation of Group D in the 2023 AFC U20 Finals following the second match. |
