On September 4th at 19:35, the first match of the 2024 Changsha International Football Invitational Tournament will see China U21 face off against Vietnam U21.
The former head coach of China’s U15 and U20 teams, Antonio, was hired as the new head coach of China’s U21 team in mid-last month. The newly formed U21 national team has been training since August 23rd, and this Changsha International Football Invitational Tournament (a four-nation tournament for the U21 national team) will be their first public appearance.
Last March, Antonio led China’s U20 team to reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Youth Championship for the first time in nine years. Outstanding players from that tournament, such as Ayifeldin and Chen Zhexuan, have also been included in the current U21 squad. In addition to Ayifeldin and Chen Zhexuan, other relatively well-known players in this China U21 team include Hu Hetao, He Xiaoke, Jia Boyan, and Mutali. Overall, the new U21 team assembled by Antonio retains some players from the original U20 team, but consists largely of newcomers.
At the press conference, Antonio expressed that the newcomers can integrate into the team and bring fresh blood, aiding the development of Chinese football. He hopes that through this training camp, the team can achieve better tactical and technical cohesion. Meanwhile, U21 international player Chen Zhexuan mentioned that Head Coach Antonio has set some new requirements for the team, but he could not reveal more, saying that everyone would see the results during the game.
The first opponent for China U21 in this four-nation tournament is Vietnam U21, followed by Malaysia U21 and Uzbekistan U21. There will be a three-day rest period between each match.
According to statistics, China U21 and Vietnam U21 have met twice before in 2009 and 2011, with China winning one and drawing one (3-2, 1-1).
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