China U15 2-0 Italy U15

On Monday, China U15 national youth team, led by Zhou Haibin, defeated host Italy U15 2-0 in the second round of the Torneo delle Nazioni in Italy. Thanks to Sha Ming’s two early goals, the side claimed its first-ever international victory since its establishment.

Held across Italy, Slovenia and Austria, the tournament sees China face three respective host nations in the first three matches. In the opening game, China lost 1-2 to Slovenia. Despite the defeat, the Chinese team delivered a far better second-half performance. Italy cruised to a 3-0 win over Wales.

On Matchday Two, Italy rotated its starting lineup, while China also made several personnel adjustments. Within the first two minutes, an Italian defender made an error under China’s pressing. Sha Ming seized the loose ball, burst into the penalty area, dribbled past an opponent and calmly finished past the onrushing goalkeeper.

In the 9th minute, the defender marking Sha made another mistake and was dribbled past. Sha then cut in from the left flank and pulled off a low cross from the byline. An Italian player deflected the ball into his own net, putting China 2-0 ahead.

Italy launched fierce attacks afterwards, yet China’s young players showed strong fighting spirit. Instead of defending passively, they adopted a high-block strategy with an advanced defensive line, frequently catching Italy offside. After winning the ball in midfield and defence, the team swiftly launched transition attacks, constantly threatening Italy’s goal.

In the end, China held on to the 2-0 win until full time, pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament.