Despite scoring only one goal in the entire group stage, fewer than even Thailand, the Chinese U23 team still advanced to the next round.

Despite not scoring many goals, the Chinese U23 team has made history by reaching the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Championship for the first time.

China U23 (in red shirts) has an unimpressive goal-scoring record - Photo: AFC

Specifically, the Chinese U23 team scored only… 1 goal in 3 group stage matches. This is the most modest number among the 8 teams that advanced to the quarterfinals.

Notably, they were even the lowest-scoring team in their own group. In Group D, Australia U23 topped the group with 4 goals. Thailand U23 and Iraq U23 both scored 2 goals but were eliminated. Finally, China U23 finished last, with only one goal scored by Peng Xiao.

However, the team from the East Asian region still managed to advance thanks to sound tactical planning.

The Chinese U23 team lacks quality stars in attack. They completely lack strikers who can make a difference like Dinh Bac of Vietnam or Sato of Japan.

In contrast, the Chinese U23 team boasts a solid defense and a top-class goalkeeper, Li Hao, who previously trained at Atletico Madrid.

Therefore, Spanish coach Antonio Puche opted for a tight defensive style of play, prioritizing solidity. As a result, despite scoring only one goal, the Chinese U23 team has not conceded any. They had two 0-0 draws against Iraq and Thailand, while defeating Australia 1-0.

In the group stage of this year's U23 Asian Championship, only U23 Japan had a clean sheet record like China.

Group D also has the fewest goals scored. Across 6 matches, only 9 goals have been scored, averaging 1.5 goals per game.

Meanwhile, Group A had 13 goals, averaging 2.16 goals per match. Group B had 15 goals, averaging 2.5 goals per match. Finally, Group C had 14 goals, averaging 2.3 goals per match.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ca-vong-bang-chi-ghi-dung-1-ban-it-hon-ca-thai-lan-nhung-u23-trung-quoc-van-di-tiep-20260114232758729.htm