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Ada Li

China’s under-23 football team made history by advancing to the quarter-finals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup for the first time after drawing 0-0 with Thailand in their final Group D match on Wednesday.
The result left China second in the group with one win and two draws, behind Australia, who topped the standings on goal difference after beating Iraq 2-1. The group games were played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
China will face Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Jeddah on Saturday.
China’s campaign started with a 0-0 draw against Iraq, followed by a 1-0 win over Australia.
The Chinese football team have participated in all seven editions of the tournament since its inception in 2013, but had never made it out of the group stage.

Under-23 head coach Antonio Puche Vicente praised his players’ belief after the match.
“I am very happy and so proud of my players. They were fantastic and believed we could qualify – that belief is so important in football. Believe, believe, believe,” the Spaniard said.
“The most important thing is we have advanced to the next stage and we are going to Jeddah. It’s a great new beginning for us. They deserve to celebrate this moment today – you have to enjoy these moments on the pitch.
“Tomorrow we head to Jeddah to prepare for Uzbekistan. It will be tough, but as long as we’re in this competition, we have a chance.”
Captain Xu Bin was relishing the challenge of facing Uzbekistan.
“We have faced this Uzbekistan team twice before and they are very strong at the Asian level, but we have confidence in ourselves. We just need to do our best,” he said.
Vicente added: “This is a great challenge for us because we’ve never reached this stage in our history. Now we are in the last eight and we need to keep working hard and give our maximum effort.
“For me, the most significant thing is that China needs to cherish this moment. Tomorrow we’ll continue preparing, but believe me – enjoy this moment.”
Uzbekistan’s under-23 side have a strong record in the competition, winning one title, finishing second twice and securing a fourth-place finish in the past four editions.


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Chinese Football Association (CFA)

China’s under-23 football team (orange) finished second in their group at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. Photo: Xinhua

China’s under-23 team (orange) drew with Thailand 0-0 in their final group match. Photo: Xinhua

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Jevon Groves is urging his team to deliver a first performance in Dubai ‘we can be proud of’. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Sport

Football

The team finishes second in the group behind Australia with one win and two draws, will play Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Jeddah


The team finishes second in the group behind Australia with one win and two draws, will play Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Jeddah.


China make history by advancing to quarter-finals of AFC U-23 Asian Cup for first time

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The team finishes second in the group behind Australia with one win and two draws, will play Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Jeddah

The team finishes second in the group behind Australia with one win and two draws, will play Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Jeddah