Live now? U23 Asian Cup schedule: China will face Uzbekistan, aiming for the semifinals tonight

On January 17th Beijing time, the U23 Asian Cup quarterfinals proceed. As per the updated schedule, the final two quarterfinal games start today, determining all four semifinal spots. China will face Uzbekistan, while Australia takes on South Korea. The intense clashes are highly anticipated, with everyone eager to see who will prevail!

This tournament is held in West Asia, Saudi Arabia. Surprisingly, after the first two quarterfinal matches, all West Asian teams have been eliminated. The host Saudi Arabia and traditional powerhouse Iran have both been sent home!

China will play against Uzbekistan. Previously, China had never advanced to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup, but this time we made a major breakthrough by going unbeaten in the group stage with three matches and topping the group to reach the quarterfinals. This is our first time reaching the knockout rounds, setting a new milestone. Our quarterfinal opponent is the strong Uzbekistan youth team, a highly competitive side. Therefore, this match carries immense pressure and is essentially a do-or-die battle—losing means elimination. Considering the opponent’s strength, we must focus on defense and counterattacks. Our defense must perform well, especially the goalkeeper who must withstand the opponent’s attacks. Only by doing so can we hope to win. The match will start promptly at 19:30 tonight, a prime time slot. CCTV5 will broadcast it live!

The other quarterfinal match features Australia against South Korea, two regular World Cup participants facing off in a key showdown. Australia lost to China in this tournament but defeated Thailand and Iraq to earn 6 points and secure first place in their group. Both wins were hard-fought—against Thailand they won narrowly 2-1 with one extra player, and against Iraq they trailed 0-1 for a long time before scoring twice in four magical minutes during stoppage time to claim the top spot. In the quarterfinals, they face South Korea, a relatively weaker opponent. If Australia plays normally, defeating Korea should be straightforward. The match kicks off at 23:00!

Written by / Sports Novel