Chinese football has been unable to hide its disappointment after being eliminated at home.

The China Under-20 (U-20) national football team lost 0-1 to Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup held on the 22nd (Korea time) at the Youth Football Training Base Center Stadium in Shenzhen, China.

This defeat means China will not participate in the semifinals, failing to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile in September. China evaluated itself as having a 'best-ever member' and set higher aspirations, but could not overcome the quarterfinal hurdle.

It is indeed disappointing. China pressed hard against Saudi Arabia with a higher possession rate, but poor finishing let them down. Especially, in the 14th minute of the second half, the promising forward Liu Chengwei missed a penalty kick, hanging his head in disappointment.

Ultimately, China paid the price for this. After establishing a strong offensive, China was struck by a late goal during the 4 minutes of stoppage time in the second half. Ammar Al-Yuhaybi connected with a cross from the right, sealing a dramatic victory and causing China to collapse. The players from China, eliminated in disgrace, shed tears.

As a result, the name of the host country, China, will not be in the semifinals. South Korea and Japan advanced to the semifinals after fierce penalty shootouts, set to face Saudi Arabia and Australia, respectively. China can only watch the semifinals from home, making it inevitable for them to feel disappointment.

Chinese media also fell into shock. 'Sohu' lamented, "Japan and South Korea have reached the semifinals, but China has once again faced disappointment. The gap between Chinese football and top-level Asian football is becoming increasingly clear."

Moreover, the media stated, "China created at least four significant chances and held an advantage but squandered them all. After missing the penalty kick, the team fell into confusion. It is truly unfortunate. Is football simply a sport unsuited for China?" they noted in a self-deprecating analysis.

The Japanese 'Football Channel' remarked, "The Chinese team participating in this U-20 Asian Cup was called a golden generation domestically, generating much expectation. Thus, missing out on qualification for the U-20 World Cup seems to have been shocking on the ground as well."

The arrows of blame are being directed toward Dejan Djurdjevic, the coach of the China U-20 national team, and Liu Chengwei, who missed the penalty kick. Sohu reported, "The China Football Association (CFA) was furious just a day after the elimination. It appears that President Song Kai will dismiss the two scapegoats."

The media stated, "Djurdjevic's tactics in the match against Saudi Arabia were very successful. The team created many opportunities, providing Liu Chengwei with several scoring chances. However, due to Liu Chengwei's disastrous performance, they failed to score for a long time, eventually leading to the team's gradual collapse and Saudi Arabia's reversal." They added, "Liu Chengwei's career with the national team seems temporarily over."

Djurdjevic also finds himself in an atmosphere where avoiding dismissal seems difficult. Sohu stated, "Not only President Song Kai but also CFA executives are known to have supported the effort to qualify for the U-20 World Cup with all their might, but upon elimination, they could not hide their anger." They argued, "Djurdjevic has once again become a target of criticism. He failed to substitute Liu Chengwei in time. Clearly, the failure to change the situation is the coach's responsibility."

Finally, the media remarked, "Djurdjevic will now be labeled a sinner among fans for this elimination. He may face the fate of resignation. The China U-20 national team did not compete in the World Cup, which significantly impacts President Song Kai's achievements. Therefore, he must punish involved personnel. The World Cup qualifiers for the China national team will soon resume. We hope that tragedies like Liu Chengwei's are not repeated."

[Photo] Korea Football Association, China Football Association, Japan national football team, AFC Asian Cup, Sohu.