By Cgtn

Copyright sydneysun

Behram Abduweli (C) of China controls the ball in the Under-23 Asian Cup qualifying match against Australia in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, September 9, 2025. /VCG

China and Australia held each other 0-0 in their final group match at the Under-23 Asian Cup qualification tournament in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Tuesday. Australia made the main draw as winners of Group D while China joined them as one of the four best-performing group runners-up.

Australia missed two great chances to score, one in the 39th minute when Nathanael Blair’s header was rejected by China goalkeeper Li Hao. The other happened three minutes into the second half when Oscar Priestman could have broken the deadlock for his side with a volley from close range, but Li stepped up to save the day again for China.

“We came here knowing it was going to be a difficult match against a very good team,” Australia’s coach Antony Vidmar said. “We really fought hard in difficult conditions, so we’re very proud.”

China’s coach Antonio Puche Vicente’s satisfied with his players’ performance as well. “Before the qualifiers, I asked my players to bring Chinese football fans some happiness, because Chinese fans have had few opportunities to feel happy,” he said. “Today, my players finished our mission. We fought like 11 terracotta warriors on the pitch.”

The U23 Asian Cup finals will start in January, 2026 in Saudi Arabia.

Source: CGTN