Yesterday in Jeddah, the Chinese mainland U23 side made history by storming into the final of the AFC U23 Asian Cup for the first time ever! ⚽🔥
Vietnam nearly shocked them in the 24th minute, when Khuat Van Khang curled a free-kick that forced keeper Li Hao into a top-drawer save. Moments later, Li was at it again, tipping away Nguyen Cong Phuong's close-range effort and keeping his spotless record at the tournament.
After the break, the Chinese mainland struck first. Peng Xiao dusted himself off after a tough challenge and nodded home the opener. Just seven minutes later, Xiang Yuwang picked the ball up on the edge of the box, sidestepped three defenders, and slotted home to make it 2-0. 👏
Drama hit in the 73rd minute when a third goal by Peng was ruled out by VAR for offside, and Vietnam was reduced to ten men after Pham Ly Duc picked up a straight red in the fallout.
Late on, substitute Behram Abduweli delivered a perfect pass for Wang Yudong, who sealed a 3-0 victory in injury time. Next up? The Chinese mainland will clash with defending champions Japan in the final this Saturday!
Reference(s):
China powers past Vietnam to make U23 Asian Cup final for first time
cgtn.com
