Scoring 42 goals and conceding none to qualify for the Asian Cup! The 09 U17 team aims for the U17 World Cup next May

Reporter Chen Yong reports Bangladesh’s U17 team’s four consecutive victories appeared to intimidate China’s U17 national team (known as "09 U17"), but the actual encounter proved otherwise: in the concluding game of the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers, 09 U17 defeated Bangladesh 4-0, ultimately advancing to the U17 Asian Cup finals with a remarkable record of five wins, 42 goals scored, and no goals allowed. Following the 00, 02 teams missing out on the finals twice in a row, the 04, 06, 08, and 09 teams have now qualified for the U17 Asian Cup finals four times consecutively. Next May in Saudi Arabia, the 09 U17 team will once again strive to secure a place in the U17 World Cup.

After several adjustments in previous matches, the 09 U17 lineup for this game was as follows: goalkeeper Qin Ziniu; defenders Zhang Xuyao, Jin Feng, Li Junpeng, and Jin Yucheng; double defensive midfielders Zhou Yuno and Xu Zhengpeng; and the usual attacking quartet of He Sifan, Wan Xiang, Kuang Zhaolei, and Shuai Weihao. For the team, having three main strikers—Shuai Weihao, Zhang Bolin, and Zhao Songyuan—is a great advantage. In the prior four games, Zhao Songyuan scored 10 goals, Zhang Bolin 7, and Shuai Weihao 6, though the starting lineup required some tough choices.

It’s worth noting that despite Xie Jin missing this match due to a fever above 38 degrees Celsius, which limited Coach Toshima Min’s attacking options, the final result showed that, at least during the relatively uneven Asian qualifiers, the absence of some players did not significantly weaken the team’s strength.

In the first half, 09 U17 focused on ground passing and possession. The opponent’s quick and agile style initially made it difficult for 09 U17 to break through their defense despite controlling the ball. However, under sustained pressure, Bangladesh’s defense faltered: in the 8th minute, Kuang Zhaolei’s cross created a threat, and Shuai Weihao cleverly intercepted the ball before the goalkeeper and scored. Although Bangladesh showed the caliber of a group runner-up and forced goalkeeper Qin Ziniu into a brilliant save, continued pressure from 09 U17 caused further mistakes. In the 38th minute, after a defender’s error, Shuai Weihao dribbled past the keeper to score his second goal, giving 09 U17 a comfortable 2-0 lead.

In the second half, after a brilliant front-line combination, Kuang Zhaolei crossed from the right, and Shuai Weihao headed home to complete a hat-trick, raising his tournament goal tally to nine. In the 87th minute, Zhang Bolin replaced Wan Xiang, allowing a rare moment with all three main strikers—Zhao Songyuan, Zhang Bolin, and Shuai Weihao—on the pitch simultaneously, possibly a tactical experiment by Coach Toshima Min after securing qualification. Later, Kuang Zhaolei broke through and passed to Zhao Songyuan, who scored from a tight angle, bringing his total to 11 goals and securing the top scorer title for the team in this tournament.

Although the 09 U17 team performed impressively in this competition, they actually faced many personnel changes, including shifts in the attacking lineup and forced adjustments in defense.

Regarding the forward line, initially, Zhang Bolin and Zhao Songyuan’s positions were uncertain, with Shuai Weihao as the main choice. The team even tried pushing He Sifan forward temporarily. Gradually, Zhang Bolin and Zhao Songyuan established their roles, enriching the attacking options: the three main strikers combined to score 27 goals in this U17 Asian Cup qualifier, while Wan Xiang’s role as the offensive core was further solidified. In fact, attackers like Liang Shiyu missed the qualifiers due to injury but are expected to return and strengthen the 09 U17 squad.

Compared to the forward line’s evolution, the defense suffered significant losses as the main goalkeeper, starting central defender, and backup defensive midfielder were unavailable due to various reasons. The team had to reorganize its defense and test new backup players in midfield, which impacted the team and contributed to some early inconsistency in results. Fortunately, the 09 U17 team remained quite stable throughout the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Since the opponents in this U17 Asian Cup were relatively weaker, the defensive restructuring did not cause major difficulties for the team. However, in the U17 Asian Cup finals next May, the competition will be tougher, posing greater challenges to the defense. For the 09 U17 team, the primary focus in the coming period will be to further refine the defense, which requires participating in more high-level matches. This will be the key preparation task for the U17 Asian Cup.