In an electrifying Group A match of the AFC U20 Asian Cup, the Chinese mainland secured their place in the quarterfinals with a decisive 5-2 victory against Kyrgyzstan on Saturday.
The hosts took an early lead in the 13th minute when Liu Chengyu capitalized on a perfect cross from Kuai Jiwen to score the opening goal. Kyrgyzstan fought back before halftime, with Umar Madaminov equalizing in the 25th minute. However, Wang Yudong swiftly restored China's advantage just before the break with a composed penalty, sending the Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper the wrong way.
Early in the second half, Kyrgyzstan's Artem Istrashkin received a second yellow card, reducing his team to 10 men and allowing the Chinese mainland to dominate the remainder of the match. Mao Weijie extended the lead with a powerful header, and substitute Zhu Pengyu sealed the victory by slotting the ball through the goalkeeper's legs in the 80th minute. Zhu added a final goal in injury time, heading home Wang Yifan's cross to complete the impressive 5-2 win.
Meanwhile, in an earlier Group A fixture, Australia triumphed over Qatar with a 3-1 victory. With both Australia and the Chinese mainland winning their first two matches, they have already secured their spots in the final eight of the tournament.
Reference(s):
China storm into AFC U20 Asian Cup quarters after defeating Kyrgyzstan
cgtn.com
