At noon on April 24, the 1999-born U23 Chinese national soccer team led by Serbian head coach Jankovic faced Changchun Yatai, who are also preparing for the Chinese Super League (CSL), at the Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou in an intense warm-up match. In the end, the U23s beat their opponents 2-0 with a goal each from Dai Weijun and Sun Qinhan in the first and second halves.
Dai Weijun, Zhu Chenjie, Zhang Linpeng, Wu Xi, Zhang Yuning and other players from the national team participated in the game as "internal supporters", of which Dai Weijun and Zhu Chenjie made their debut, and Zhu Chenjie kept his composure throughout the game. The average playing time of the rest of the international players was about 30 minutes. This is the first time since Jankovic took over the team that the three overage players represented the U23 national soccer team. From the performance of the game, the three overage players were clearly superior to the younger players in terms of technique and passing awareness. Jankovic also highly praised the integration effect of the old and new players and the overall performance of the whole team.
According to the epidemic prevention regulations, the U23 national football team and the adult national team on April 24th ended a period of "14 + 7" days of medical isolation observation. As the CFA decided to send the U23s to participate in the upcoming East Asian Cup Men's Football Tournament to be held in Japan in July, the U23s played their last warm-up match in Haikou at the strong request of Jankovic.
During the closed training in Haikou, the U23 national football team from the national team "borrowed" including Wu Xi, Zhang Linpeng, Zhang Yuning, including five international players, aiming to enhance the team's competitiveness in the Asian Games men's football competition. It is due to the addition of these "new recruits" that Jankovic hopes to test the status of the overage players and promote the integration between the old and new players through this warm-up match.
Jankovic did not start the three overage players considering they joined the team late. However, Zhu Chenjie and Dai Weijun, two age-eligible internationals, made their debuts. Dai Weijun opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, while Sun Qinhan added another goal for the U23s midway through the second half. The three overage players came on mainly in the last 30 minutes of the match.
Feedback from the front line showed that the three overage players clearly outperformed the younger players in terms of overall ability. A victory successfully concluded this training session, and the morale of the U23 national football team is quite good. Obviously, what Jankovic values more than the result of this warm-up match is the players' constant enthusiasm for the game and the victory.
After the match, members of the U23 national football team, who also ended their isolation, will leave Haikou one after another. The entire team is expected to regroup around July 10 to fully prepare for the 2022 East Asian Cup soccer tournament to be held in Japan in late July.
