In the final round of the U17 Asian Cup group stage, China’s U17 national team secured a 2-0 victory over Qatar, with goals from He Sifan and Zhang Baishuang. Thanks to Japan’s 3-1 win over Indonesia in the same group, China advanced to the quarterfinals on goal difference, also securing a spot in the U17 World Cup for the first time in 21 years.
China’s miraculous turnaround from two consecutive losses to a place in the knockout rounds owes gratitude to two teams. First, Qatar, who defeated Indonesia 2-0 in the second round, keeping China’s hopes alive. Second, Japan, despite already qualifying, fielded a rotated squad but still defeated Indonesia 3-1. Goals from Masayoshi Tsunekiyoshi (28th minute), Takeshi Wada (59th minute), and Shinta Okamoto (71st minute) sealed the win, while Indonesia’s only goal came from Perez Joe in the 70th minute.
China’s own match saw dominance from the start. He Sifan opened the scoring with a long-range effort in the 14th minute, and substitute Zhang Boli added a header in the 71st minute to make it 2-0, meeting the qualification requirement. China recorded 12 shots with 8 on target, missing at least four clear one-on-one chances, while Qatar managed only 5 shots with 2 on target and no goals. Possession was evenly split, but China created far more opportunities.
Indonesia, after their opening win over China, had celebrated prematurely. Consecutive losses dropped them from second to bottom of the group. China’s Japanese head coach, Shima Ukishima, fulfilled the target set by the Chinese Football Association, leading the team back to the U17 World Cup after a 21-year absence. Following the match, Chinese football journalist Ma Dexing commented, “Though it was bumpy, China is going to the U17 World Cup. Let’s celebrate first and settle accounts later.” He had previously criticized Shima after the opening loss to Indonesia.