U22 China 0-1 U22 Vietnam, domestic newspapers criticize referee's favoritism
Losing 0-1 at home on the evening of November 12 at the Panda Cup 2025 despite playing with 5 defenders, U22 China was said by newspaper 163 to have enjoyed many lenient decisions from the referee and avoided a heavy defeat.
China U22 lost 0-1 to Vietnam U22 in the Panda Cup 2025 on the evening of November 12, in a match that the local media – according to newspaper 163 – emphasized that the home team enjoyed many lenient decisions from the referee but still could not change the result. Despite applying a system of 5 defenders, China U22 exposed individual errors and poor effectiveness in attack.
Key moments and controversial situations
According to 163, the only goal conceded by U22 China came from two consecutive fouls in defense. Wang Shiqin was the one who received the most criticism after this situation. Chinese media said that it was a manifestation of a 5-man defense system but lacked organization at important moments.
Page 163 pointed out at least two situations where the referee was said to have been lenient with the home team. The quote from this page read: “Liu Haofan deliberately collided with a player who was facing the goalkeeper in the penalty area. The referee, with leniency, did not award a penalty.” In the final phase of the match, when U22 Vietnam had a chance to counterattack, referee Shen Enhao quickly blew the final whistle, thereby – according to page 163 – “preventing U22 China from losing more.”
5 defenders but not safe, individual errors pay the price
China U22 started with a five-man defense to prioritize solidity, but the defensive links lacked cohesion in handling the ball and covering the area in front of the penalty area. The two consecutive errors leading to goals reflected problems in organization and communication at the back, rather than just a single incident.
Newspaper 163 described this defeat as an “unpleasant” result for Chinese football, even reporter Pei Li used the word “disastrous” when the home team still did not win despite favorable conditions (home field), a cautious game and – in their opinion – some favorable decisions from the referee.
Weak personnel and poor attack
Sources from 163 said that China U22 did not have the services of many key players such as Wang Yudong, Liu Chengyu, Kuai Jiwen and Peng Xiao, causing the squad to significantly decline in quality. On the offensive line, Baihelamu missed rare opportunities, and his already limited ability to create opportunities became even more obscure.
In the context of lacking breakthrough plans, U22 China almost depends on set pieces or hopes from the opponent's mistakes. 163 newspaper assessed that when the mechanism of creating pressure and organizing attacks is not strong enough, using 5 defenders makes the formation fall back, reducing the number of players for attacks.
Chinese media perspective
Reporter Pei Li (page 163) said that the recent performance was “disastrous” considering the expectations and advantages gained. Besides the handling errors, the media emphasized the psychological factor: after the controversial moves, U22 China lost their rhythm and let the opponent take the initiative at key moments.
Page 163 also reiterated that without the “lenient” decisions, the home team could have conceded more goals. This view shows internal frustration with the quality of play, rather than blaming the match management entirely.
Impact on Panda Cup 2025 and the national team
The 0-1 defeat in the opening match put China U22 at a disadvantage in the race for the 2025 Panda Cup championship. The match featured the presence of the new head coach of the Chinese national team, Shao Jiayi, who was watching to evaluate young talents. With the unconvincing performance, the journey to find outstanding factors for the team - as described by the source - will be a big challenge.
This result raises questions about the quality of the current youth team as well as the effectiveness of the 5-back plan in matches that require initiative. However, the domestic media clearly pointed out the problems – from tactical structure to discipline and psychology – also the basis for China U22 to adjust immediately before everything goes downhill at the 2025 Panda Cup.