The first two teams to reach the semi-finals of the U17 Asian Championship.

In the early hours of May 16th, the U17 teams of China and Japan both qualified for the semi-finals of the U17 Asian Championship.

China's U17 team impressively defeated the host nation.

China's U17 team staged a remarkable comeback, defeating hosts Saudi Arabia's U17 team 3-1. This marks the first time in 22 years that the Chinese youth team has reached the semi-finals of the tournament.

The match, played at King Abdullah Sports City, saw U17 Saudi Arabia take the initiative and open the scoring in the 21st minute with a close-range finish from Faisal Bayomi. However, the home team's advantage did not last long. U17 China, with their simple yet fast-paced style of play, quickly responded with an equalizer from Xiang in the 27th minute after a combination play on the right wing.

In the second half, the deadlock was broken in the 59th minute when Songyuan capitalized on an accurate cross to give China a 2-1 lead. Despite Saudi Arabia's efforts to equalize and several clear chances, their lack of finishing cost them dearly. In the second minute of added time, He Sifan completed an impressive solo run, sealing a 3-1 victory for the China U17 team.

Japan U17 showcases its strength.

Meanwhile, the Japanese U17 team demonstrated their superior strength by crushing Tajikistan U17 5-0. From the start, the team in blue completely controlled the game and exerted constant pressure.

Maki Kitahara opened the scoring before halftime, before scoring again early in the second half. The situation worsened for Tajikistan when they were reduced to 10 men after a red card. Taking advantage of this, Japan scored three more goals through Saito, Satomi, and Kataki, sealing a crushing victory.

With this result, the Japanese U17 team continues its quest for a fifth title in history, while the Chinese U17 team returns to the semi-finals for the first time since 2004. Notably, the opponent of the Chinese U17 team will be determined after the Vietnamese U17 team faces the Australian U17 team at 0:00 on May 17th.

Source: https://znews.vn/hai-doi-dau-tien-vao-ban-ket-u17-chau-a-post1652011.html