On August 20th at 15:30, the 2024 CFA China Team – Shenyang “Peace Cup” International Football Invitation Tournament will see China’s U16 team host Uzbekistan U16 at the Shenyang City Stadium.
In recent years, with the country continuously increasing investment in youth football infrastructure and training models, the number of players selected for China’s U19 and U16 teams has significantly improved compared to 5-10 years ago. In this “Peace Cup” tournament, China’s U16 team has performed well, defeating Vietnam U16 4-0 in their first match, demonstrating strong offensive capabilities. Although they lost 1-2 to Japan U16 in the second game, it was clear that this was not due to poor form but rather a matter of strength, with some commendable aspects in the game content.
Uzbekistan’s youth training squad is considered one of the better ones in Asia, achieving good results in competitions such as the World Youth Championships and Asian Youth Championships. The Uzbekistan U16 team that came to China for this tournament had a relatively complete lineup, much more rigorous than the Iran U19 team (which only brought 15 players) that previously participated in Shanxi. In the “Peace Cup,” the Uzbekistan U16 team fielded their starters and drew 1-1 with Japan U16, leaving a deep impression with their defensive performance and physicality. However, in the second match, after making some rotations, they lost 0-3 to Vietnam U16, leading to comments from Chinese and Uzbek media that the team is “not weak against strong opponents but struggles against weaker ones,” indicating inconsistent form and a gap between the starters and substitutes.
In terms of head-to-head results, at the U16 level, the two teams have met twice. Once in the 2012 AFC U16 Championship, where they drew 1-1. The other time was in a friendly match in 2015, which China won 2-0. However, given the long interval and multiple changes in the squad, these results are only for reference.
Regarding key players, China U16’s forward Wei Xiangxin (who scored a crucial goal in the first Peace Cup match) has excellent shooting skills, Li Xiang (who scored two goals in the Peace Cup) is the team’s main attacking threat, and midfielder Aibibula (from Chengdu Rongcheng’s youth academy, the midfield organizer) are all pivotal figures in the team.
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