On the field in October, China's U16 national junior soccer team ignited people's passion for soccer with its heroic fighting spirit and outstanding performance. According to the Beijing Youth Daily, a senior member of the Football Association, after witnessing the fierce battle with South Korea's U16, asserted with confidence that these teenage players are the future of the national soccer team.
Looking back to the night of October 27th, the final match of Group C of the U17 Asian Cup Qualifying Tournament was staged in Dalian, on the northeastern coast. The Chinese U16s shook hands with the South Korean U16s with a score of 2-2. Although they ended up second in the group on goal difference, they managed to be among the best performers among the five second-ranked teams in the group by virtue of their outstanding performance, and successfully secured a ticket to the final stage next year.
In this matchup, the Chinese U16s showed an overwhelming advantage over the South Koreans. The statistics show that they had 60% of the ball in their possession and nearly twice as many shots on goal as their opponents. Such a strong performance is rare in the history of soccer meetings between China and South Korea. It must be mentioned that the technical and tactical innovations of Japanese coach Kenichi Uemura have begun to bear fruit, injecting new vitality into this young team. These positive changes are undoubtedly more praiseworthy than the advancement itself, as they not only boost the morale of Chinese soccer fans, but also become the catalyst for the rise of Chinese soccer.
After the match, the officials of the Football Association said that the performance of the U16 National Junior Football Team gave them hope for the future of Chinese soccer. Their confidence is exactly the motivation for us to continue to move forward.
