Chinese newspaper: 'AFC should thank Vietnamese fans'

"More than 500 Vietnamese fans saved the atmosphere of the quarter-finals of the U23 Asian Cup", the newspaperOrientcommented. "There weren't many foreign fans coming to watch the matches. All four venues, except for the matches with Vietnamese participation, were almost empty."

The 2018 AFC U23 Championship finals took place in four cities: Kunshan, Changshu, Changzhou and Jiangyin, all in Jiangsu province, China.

*Vietnamese players celebrate with fans after defeating Iraq

Vietnam will play the first two group stage matches in Con Son. The next two matches, including the final group stage match against Syria and the quarter-final match against Iraq, will be played in Changshu.

According to AFC, the quarter-final match between Vietnam and Iraq attracted the most spectators among the eight teams. Nearly 1,000 fans from both Vietnam and Iraq came to the stadium to cheer for the two teams, one and a half times more than the match between Korea and Malaysia, and three times more than the first two quarter-final matches between Japan and Uzbekistan, and Qatar and Palestine.

"More than 500 Vietnamese fans made a ruckus at Changshu Stadium," the newspaper said.Orientdescription. "With drums, flags and enthusiasm, they relieved the tension for AFC".

The early exit of the hosts China is widely seen as a major factor in the lack of interest in the continent's premier youth tournament. "The empty stands are unlikely to change between now and the end of the tournament. It's the same with Chinese football right now," the Shanghai-based daily commented.