Photo: VCG
China’s under-23 national football team will face Vietnam in the semi-finals of the U23 Asian Cup on Tuesday, with the match being framed as a clash of contrasting tactical philosophies. The Chinese team has progressed further at this level than any of its predecessors. A success story built on defensive discipline and competitive realism.
Through four games, they have kept a clean sheet in regular play and scored just once, a statistical profile that has drawn criticism and even ridicule. But it also had consequences. In knockout football, efficiency is often prioritized over beauty, especially at youth level.
Defensively, China is very organized. The backline maintained its shape, the midfield defended the central zone with discipline, and goalkeeper Li Hao emerged as the defining figure of the tournament. His shot-stopping performance against Uzbekistan, including a crucial save in the penalty shootout, turned a close game into a historic breakthrough.
Vietnam’s quarterfinal victory over the United Arab Emirates provided a clear case study. They led twice, trailed twice, and ultimately won 3-2 in overtime. On paper, conceding two headers meant they were at a disadvantage, but their control of the game told a completely different story.
Vietnam was almost in control. Their overall passing rhythm, positional awareness and ability across the pitch to receive and pass the ball under pressure was noticeably better. The two goals conceded did not come from an organizational breakdown, but from a mismatch in the air.
What was even more noticeable was how “complete” the team seemed. Vietnam is no longer a team that relies only on moments and spirit. Last year, they held an unbeaten record in two friendlies against China, including a 1-0 win at the Panda Cup in November.
They currently operate at a consistently high technical baseline and also have outstanding talent, most notably 21-year-old Nguyen Dinh Bac, who has already featured for the Vietnam national team. Although Buck wasn’t at his best due to injury, his decision-making ability and confidence in the game brought the Vietnamese team to the forefront.
Even though certain physical limitations cannot be resolved overnight, the Vietnamese team’s technique is one that players can actively master through training, and Vietnam’s steady growth over the past decade, including a runner-up finish at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup, reflects a long-term belief in technique-driven development. The Vietnamese team’s technical guarantees pose a completely different kind of challenge when playing against a Chinese team that has so far succeeded in taking space rather than creating it.
However, the change in mentality also reflects the Chinese team’s own reassessment of what happened with the recent goal conceded. Chinese player Liu Haofang told reporters on Monday that originally the Chinese team’s goal for the tournament was very simple – to advance to the final round, but now that the team has started aiming to reach the final, plans have changed.
Vietnam will likely control possession, patiently circulate the ball, and test China’s defensive concentration through movement rather than physical force. China, by contrast, will aim to compress space, disrupt the opponent’s rhythm, and drag the match into uncomfortable territory, ideally determined by set-pieces, transitions and even penalties.
There is no guarantee that realism will prevail. Vietnam’s technological superiority is real and their attack volume may eventually be surpassed. At the same time, China’s defensive resolve has not yet broken, and in tournament soccer the sides that can endure longer are often rewarded.
Regardless of the outcome, deeper lessons lie beyond the game. Vietnam’s progress suggests that continued investment in technical training can reshape the country’s soccer identity. Meanwhile, China’s rise shows that discipline, structure, and competitive pragmatism can still open doors that once seemed permanently closed.
For the China U23s, advancing to the semi-finals is already a milestone. What happens next will determine whether this team will be remembered simply as a disciplined, high-achieving team, or as the starting point for something more sustainable.
The author is a reporter for the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn