The Japan Under-19 team is not an official player at the Asian Youth Championship at the end of the year, and most of them are still under scouting, and most of them are 89-year-olds.

Moreover, more than half of the players in this Japanese youth team are students of Japanese universities, and there are not many youth team players in real professional clubs. However, these Japanese college students are almost ready to play for professional teams by reaching agreements with some professional clubs in China.

This is what makes Japanese football different from Chinese football.

School football in Japan has always been an important part of his youth training, and many college players eventually go on to professional teams and become professional footballers.

However, the youth training model in Japan is also being transformed.

The youth training of major professional clubs has gradually developed, while the number of players joining professional players in colleges and universities is decreasing year by year. But for now, these college players are still the target of many professional clubs.

Gu Zhen looked at the opponent in front of him and bowed slightly, sure enough, his height is generally not high, even in the position of central defender, his height is only the same as himself, if Tan Yang comes up, the Japanese youth team will be enough to eat a pot.

Gu Zhen stood in the middle circle and stepped on the football with one foot.

His eyes were glued to the opposing goal, waiting for the game to begin.

In China, the CCTV sports channel broadcast the game live, and the fans in front of the TV were able to see the performance of the young men of the Chinese national youth team.

"Hello everyone, fans! I'm Liu Jianhong, and today we are bringing you the semi-finals of the Qatar Eight Nations Invitational Tournament, against the Chinese U19 youth team and the Japanese U19 youth team! CCTV's commentator Liu Jianhong immediately said.

Then, Liu Jianhong was detailed in the status of the two teams in this competition. In particular, he introduced the results of our national youth team's opponent, the Japanese youth team, who even beat the German national youth team 4-2 in the group stage just past.

"The strength of this Japanese national youth team is very strong, I hope our boys will work hard, play seriously, and strive to defeat their opponents and win the game!" Liu Jianhong said.

"Now let's take a look at the starting line-ups for both sides today." Liu Jianhong said.

The list of Japan's national youth U19 youth team is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Okubo Sei

Rear four: Yoshio Urata, Daisuke Suzuki, Kazunari Ohno, Shoya Kamada

Four midfielders: Atsushi Suzuki, Shinji Kagawa, Takuya Aoki, Yasuhiro Yamamoto

Double strikers: Ryohei Yamazaki, Hiroki Miyazawa

This is the starting list of the Japanese national youth for this game, and it can be seen from this starting list that the Japanese national youth team is mainly looking at the players this time, otherwise they would not be on this starting list.

The starting line-up of the Chinese U19 national youth team is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Wu Yan

Four defenders: Zhong Beiwei, Qiu Tianyi, Wang Liang, Zheng Zheng

Four midfielders: Zhong Beiwei, Zhang Ningpeng, Wu Xi, Cao Yunding

Double striker: Gu Zhen and Zhang Chengtong

Today's national youth team is not lined up with an all-main lineup, and some of them are players that Mr. Liu Chunming is investigating.

Sure enough, this event is a warm-up tournament and examines the players.

The Japanese national youth team was able to sweep the German national youth team 4-1, which shows that the players from the German national youth team are not the main players, and can even be said to be marginal players. After all, Gu Zhen's good friend Francic Jr. did not come to Qatar.

However, the youth team will not underestimate the Japanese national youth team at all.

Gu Zhen saw Shinji Kagawa, who was widely mentioned by the people around him before the game, to be honest, this guy's first impression of Gu Zhen was short and thin, and it was hard to imagine that such a guy could be the absolute core of the midfield of the upper middle and upper teams in the second division of Japan.

Such a figure can have such a result, which shows that this guy is very powerful and extremely talented.

Honk!

A whistle blows, and the game officially begins.

Gu Zhen didn't pay attention to Shinji Kagawa anymore, he was completely committed to this game. It was his first time playing against Japan, and it was clear that he was playing a completely different game than usual. The teammates around him are all holding their back, like a lion that is about to explode.

The situation on the Japanese side is the same as on our side, both sides are more aggressive.

In the first ten minutes of the game, the two sides were evenly matched.

The Japanese team's offense threatens the Chinese team's goal, and the Chinese team's offense can also threaten the Japanese team's national youth team's goal.

Just now, Gu Zhenshi sent a very good through ball, Zhang Chengtong shot out of the diagonal stab, rushed directly behind the opponent's defender, and shot with a blast.

It's a pity that football is a little off!

This is the best opportunity for the Chinese national youth team since the start of this game, but unfortunately they didn't take it.

And on the Japanese side, Shinji Kagawa really wants everyone to prove why they are the absolute core of the midfield of this team. His ball control is so good that it is difficult for Chinese players to snatch the ball from his feet, and more importantly, his passing and handling skills are very good.

Shinji Kagawa's passes seem to be more horizontal and back, but after a few passes, he is always able to overwhelm the Japanese team's attack in the heart of the Chinese team's penalty area, and then he can also send the ball to the feet of the striker very smoothly, allowing the striker to get a very good chance to shoot.

In the last 10 minutes alone, Japan have had two very good chances.

However, goalkeeper Wu Yan of the Chinese youth team performed well.

Gu Zhen obviously felt the gap in strength between the Chinese youth team and the Japanese youth team, and the Japanese youth team's passing and possession ability was really nothing to say.

After more than ten minutes, the evenly matched situation was gradually resolved.

Football is more at the feet of Japan's youth team, who are passing the ball back and forth in midfield, looking for opportunities. Their possession rate is skyrocketing, while the youth team is starting to put on a defensive posture, waiting for the opportunity to counter-attack.

Now Gu Zhen understands what Mr. Liu Chunming said to him before the game.

In this game, there is really not much support I can get, I have to rely on myself.

Gu Zhen also immediately retreated and participated in the defense. He is also like this at the Mainz club, Klopp is asking the striker of Mainz to be the team's first line of defense, it is necessary to run and press aggressively, put pressure on the opponent, and even more to unite his own midfielders to make a defensive tackle on the opponent's ball carrier, once the football is stolen, immediately launch a fast attack on the spot.

Now it is also played in the youth team, but the tactics of the youth team are not as detailed and systematic as Klopp's.

What the youth team is asking for is a simple pressing interception.

Gu Zhen's running ability and pressing ability were shown, causing a lot of trouble for the players of the Japanese youth team.

As soon as the players of the Japanese team saw Gu Zhen pounce on him, their hearts were tight.

On the sidelines, the head coach of the Japanese team frowned slightly: "Is this Gu Zhen really a striker, not a midfielder?" This running, intercepting and stealing ability is too strong, right? ”

Liu Chunming was also slightly stunned, she really hadn't seen Gu Zhen's side.

Suddenly, Liu Chunming felt that in this national youth team, Gu Zhen's suitable position was not a striker, but a forward waist. He can organize the attack, he can pass the ball, and he has such a strong defensive ability, he is a bit of a loss on the front line.

Gu Zhen should take more responsibility.

Gu Zhen is indeed like this in this national youth team, but not in the first team of Mainz. There are many more people in the midfield who are stronger than him in terms of organizational ability and passing ability, and Gu Zhen's main talent lies in his speed, ability to grab points in front of goal, sense of smell in front of goal and accurate judgment of the ball landing point.

He's better suited as a striker.

However, the strength of the players of the national youth team is a little poor, and Gu Zhen is particularly powerful in it.

During this time, the Japanese national youth team was besieging the youth team.

However, Gu Zhen still threatened the goal of the Japanese national youth team with his speed.

Just now, the commentator Liu Jianhong shouted: "Gu Zhen has passed, opportunity!" ”

Midfielder Zhang Ningpeng steals and knocks horizontally, Wu Xi doesn't stop the ball and directly plugs it, instantly breaking through the defense of the Japanese national youth team, and the football rolls out quickly.

Everyone thought that the ball was passed big, even Wu Xi himself thought so. But Gu Zhen rushed through the crowd of defenders of the Japanese youth team like an afterimage, and stopped the football when it was about to roll out of the bottom line.

Gu Zhen pulled the football back, ignored the defenders of the Japanese team, and delicately rubbed the football towards the middle of the penalty area.

The ball flew into the penalty area at a high speed.

Both of Japan's centre-backs are only 180cm tall and they have some problems with high balls. So Gu Zhen chose the cross as soon as possible, and Zhang Chengtong, who came up, was 184cm tall, and his bounce ability was very good.

Gu Zhen passed the height and line of Zhang Chengtong's most comfortable header.

Zhang Chengtong, who rushed up quickly, jumped high, beat Daisuke Suzuki and Kazunari Ohno of the Japanese national youth team, hit the headhammer, and smashed the flying football into the Japanese team's goal.

"Zhang Chengtong's header hits the goal!" Liu Jianhong roared wildly.

With a bang, the football flew quickly towards the goal of the Japanese youth team, and the ball was fast!

The fans in front of the TV jumped with excitement, and some people could not help but shout loudly, so that the whole building echoed with his passionate shouts and the curses of his neighbors.

In front of the goal, Japanese goalkeeper Okubo immediately jumped up and slapped the goal with one hand!

The tallest member of the Japanese national youth team, Seo Okubo, became the expectation of all of Japan, and everyone stared at him quietly.

On the sidelines, Liu Chunming, the head coach of the Chinese youth team, had already leaned forward to stretch his neck, his eyes were full of excitement, this was a great opportunity.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, the ball slammed into the crossbar of the goal, and the crossbar shook.

All Chinese fans were disappointed, the football passed the Japanese national youth team's 190cm tall goalkeeper Okubo Seo, but it was blocked by the goalpost, but it's a pity!

"Ball in, ball in, Liu Jianhong suddenly roared excitedly, and his voice was about to burst the sound of the TV.

The ball squeezed the underside of the goal crossbar and bounced into the Japanese youth team's goal.

In the 21st minute of the first half of the game, the Chinese youth team led the Japanese national youth team, which had a very rapid momentum, with Zhang Chengtong's goal.

The Chinese fans at the scene and in front of the TV were all said to be jumping with excitement, very excited.

The Chinese youth team actually led the Japanese youth team, good ball!