Young guns off to perfect start

China's Under-23s claim third straight win to qualify for last 16

China's men's Under-23 squad delivered a much-needed shot in the arm for the nation's soccer fortunes by qualifying for the last 16 of the Asian Games in brilliant style.

The struggles of China's senior side are well documented, so it came as something of a surprise in Bandung on Sunday when the Under-23s racked up their third straight win at the 18th Asiad with a 2-1 triumph over the United Arab Emirates to finish on top of Group C with a perfect record.

China opened its campaign with a 6-0 hammering of East Timor, followed by a convincing 3-0 victory over Syria last Thursday.

To add to the feel-good factor, Yao Junsheng's 71st-minute winner against the UAE was a sensational lob from the center circle.

The UAE drew first blood through a 32nd-minute Mohammed Al Mesmari strike before Wei Shihao restored parity six minutes later.

China's head coach Massimiliano Maddaloni lauded Yao's stunner but said he was not surprised by the Shandong Luneng youngster's heroics.

"It is not new for me as he is an intelligent player and often scores on long-range shots in training," said the Italian.

"I think he saw the UAE goalkeeper standing far out of the goal and grasped that chance."

Forward Zhang Yuning said he and his teammates were buzzing.

"We haven't had such a great feeling of winning in this way for a very long time," said Zhang. "Before, I never dreamed we could score like this. These results are a dream come true. I'm truly thrilled."

Having joined ADO Den Haag in the summer on loan from West Bromwich Albion, Zhang is the only player on the squad plying his trade in Europe.

The 21-year-old said the move to the Dutch top flight has done his confidence a world of good.

"I did great preparation work for the new season with my club, and I played many games consecutively," said Zhang.

"Because of those games and the trust of my coach, I feel that I have improved and I've taken that form with me here for the national team."

Zhang's fresh start in the Eredivisie for Den Haag coincides with 17-year-old Chinese midfielder Dongda He's move from Notts County in England's fourth tier to Premier League new boys Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The transfers bode well for fans longing for a new generation of Chinese talent to emulate trailblazers like Sun Jihai, Yang Chen and Zheng Zhi, who all played at the top level in England, Germany and Scotland respectively.

Zhang also hailed the contribution of rising Beijing Guo'an star Wei, who netted China's openers against both Syria and the UAE.

"The most important score of the day was from Wei Shihao," said Zhang.

"In the early stages we were not on pace, but after Wei's goal we settled into the game."

Wei's success would appear to vindicate recent reforms in the domestic game geared at giving young players more minutes in the Chinese Super League.

In 2017, the Chinese Football Association decreed that teams must have at least three under-23 players in their match-day squads and must start at least one of them.

In addition, CSL clubs have to pay a levy equivalent to foreign player transfer fees costing 45 million yuan ($7 million) or more to a youth development fund, while the number of under-23 Chinese players that teams field must at least equal the number of foreigners on the pitch.

As encouraging as the Under-23s' exploits at the Asiad are, the real validation for these policies would be call-ups for the likes of Wei to Marcello Lippi's senior national side, with the Italian head coach keeping a keen eye on proceedings from the stands in Indonesia.