China suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat, Li Hao apologized, Antonio remained rational, but the Japanese coach made an unexpected comment

On January 25th Beijing time, the U23 Asian Cup final ended with China being completely overwhelmed, losing 0-4 to Japan. Not only did China miss the title, but Japan also made history as the first team to defend the Asian Cup championship. After conceding four goals, Li Hao apologized directly, saying sorry to everyone. Chinese coach Antonio was very rational, encouraging everyone to face the reality of the gap between Chinese and Japanese football. Yet the Japanese coach commented that winning at such a young age was like rubbing salt in the wound!

The Chinese team had an explosive performance throughout this tournament, continuously surprising everyone by defeating strong opponents and making history multiple times. With a nearly impenetrable defense, they reached the final, which was a huge breakthrough beyond all expectations. As a fourth-tier team reaching the final, China became the biggest dark horse of the tournament. In the final, they faced the powerful defending champions, whose squad was composed of U21 players. Despite this, their overall strength far exceeded China’s, and their formidable attacking ability made all opponents wary!

From the start of the match, China was on the defensive as Japan launched fierce attacks, searching for scoring chances. At the 12th minute, a deflected shot caught Li Hao off guard and resulted in a goal. After scoring, Japan’s momentum surged, and 20 minutes later they scored again quickly. China endured a disastrous 8-minute spell, going into halftime 0-2 down and in deep trouble. In the second half, China gifted Japan a penalty, which was easily converted to make it 0-3. Japan continued pressing and scored another deflected goal to add insult to injury. Ultimately, China suffered a humiliating 0-4 loss to Japan and missed out on the championship. This outcome was expected, but the large margin was surprising, and these goals were all very tricky!

After the game, Chinese goalkeeper Li Hao was interviewed and openly apologized to fans nationwide, saying there was no honor in defeat; losing is simply losing. This shows Li Hao’s strong sense of responsibility and focus on results, especially since they were so close to the championship. However, these conceded goals really cannot be blamed on Li Hao!

Chinese coach Antonio said in an interview that the players gave their all and that the gap between Chinese and Japanese football must be taken seriously. Losing is definitely disappointing, but he remains proud of the team. Antonio showed great rationality by both acknowledging the players’ efforts and making clear that the difference with Japanese football is not something that can be changed overnight or in a single match!

Japanese coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa said that beating older opponents to win the championship is commendable and that the victory is proof of their strength. Frankly, this statement felt like salt in China’s wound — simply put, it means the younger team beating the bigger one, which is really disheartening. But that’s Japan; their strength is truly overwhelming!

Written by / Sports Novel