China see ‘fantastic future’ after first Asian Games football medal in 28 years

NAGOYA, October 3 — Chinese football is on the brink of a "fantastic future," according to coach Antonio Puche, who announced that the men's under-23 team achieved their first Asian Games medal in nearly 28 years on Saturday. Chinese football has long been considered underachievers in international competitions, having only qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002.

However, the national senior team suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Palestine on Friday. Despite this, China has shown relative success at the youth level, having secured a bronze medal at the Under-23 Asian Cup in February and a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Japan. Puche praised the new generation of players, stating that they possess "big quality and big heart," which is crucial in football.

The Asian Games football competition involves under-23 squads, which can include three overage players. The senior team's recent struggles, including a 3-0 home loss to New Zealand, have inspired Puche to trust head coach Shao Jiayi to turn things around. "The result of that last match wasn't very good, that's for sure," Puche admitted.

"But the head coach is very capable and resilient and he will use this loss to make the team better." China has never won the men's Asian Games football gold, having last secured a medal in 1998 when they took bronze in Bangkok.