At Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, the two sides remained deadlocked after 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, forcing a shootout in which China held their nerve.
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China goalkeeper Li Hao (L) celebrates with teammates in their victory over Uzbekistan in the U23 Asian Cup quarterfinals in Prince Abdullah Al Faisal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 17, 2026. Photo by AFC |
Liu Haofan, Peng Xiao and Xiang Yuwang converted China’s first three penalties. For Uzbekistan, only Bakhromov and Saidnurullaev scored, while Karimov struck the crossbar.
In the fourth round, Yang Haoyu missed for China, but Uzbekistan’s Dilshod Abdullaev was denied by goalkeeper Li Hao.
The decisive kick came from Wang Bohao, currently the only Chinese U23 player competing in Europe with Den Bosch in the Netherlands. His powerful strike into the top-right corner sealed a 4-2 shootout win, despite goalkeeper Muratbaev getting a hand to the ball.
U23 Asian Cup highlights: China 0-0 Uzbekistan (4-2 on penalties)
Chinese players rushed to celebrate with Wang and Li, as television cameras captured emotional scenes in the stands. It marked China’s first-ever appearance in the semi-finals of the U23 Asian Cup.
Uzbekistan entered the match as favorites after topping Group C with wins over Lebanon and South Korea and a draw with Iran.
China, meanwhile, finished second in Group D after beating Australia and drawing with Thailand and Iraq.
The Central Asian side dominated possession and chances, recording 71% possession, 28 shots and 13 corners, but failed to find a breakthrough against China’s disciplined defense and an outstanding performance from Li Hao.
The goalkeeper made a series of key saves, including denying long-range efforts from Tolqunbekov, Jumayev and Khayrullaev, as well as close-range chances in the second half.
Uzbekistan’s intensity dropped in extra time, allowing China to see out the match and force penalties, where they proved more composed.
The victory continues China’s unbeaten run in the tournament under coach Antonio Puche, following their first-ever qualification from the group stage.
China will face Vietnam in the semifinals on Jan. 20, after Vietnam defeated UAE 3-2 in extra time early on Saturday.
The two sides have met three times previously at the U23 Panda Cup, with China winning once, drawing once and losing most recently in November 2025.
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