NAGOYA, Oct 3 — Chinese football has a “fantastic future” after the country’s men’s under-23 side won its first Asian Games medal in nearly three decades on Saturday, coach Antonio Puche said.
China, long regarded as underachievers in international football, have qualified for the World Cup only once, in 2002, while the senior side suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Palestine on Friday.
But China have enjoyed relative success at youth level, following their runner-up finish at the Under-23 Asian Cup in February with a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Japan.
China beat Uzbekistan on penalties after a 2-2 draw, with Puche backing the new generation to go on to bigger and better things.
“These players for me have a fantastic future,” said the Spaniard.
“We need to work, we need to push them because we have players with big quality and big heart, and this is very important in football.”
Asian Games football features under-23 squads that can include three overage players.
Puche’s team in Aichi-Nagoya included several players who are regulars with the senior national side.
The senior team has struggled in their absence, also losing 3-0 at home to New Zealand in a friendly last week.
Puche backed coach Shao Jiayi to turn things around after the defeat to Palestine.
“The result of that last match wasn’t very good, that’s for sure,” he said.
“But the head coach is very capable and resilient and he will use this loss to make the team better.”
China have never won Asian Games men’s football gold.
They last won a medal in 1998, when they took bronze in Bangkok. — AFP
