Abudoushalamu netted a second half penalty to help China PR earn three points in their final AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2025 Group A clash on Wednesday, with Jiang Zhiqin later adding gloss to the scoreline.

But back-to-back 2-1 defeats against Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan meant China PR failed to make it to the quarter-finals, ultimately also missing out on the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

“We are disappointed that we could not get any points from our first two matches to make it a memorable tournament. Our target was to reach the World Cup. Scoring a goal was a small consolation for me,” said Abudoushalamu.

China PR head coach Kenichi Uemura was proud of his players, who produced a spirited performance to finish their campaign on a high.

“My players managed to put the previous two losses aside and give a good performance against Thailand,” said Ueemura. “They must remember that they are still young, and their careers are far from over. 

“They must keep working hard and believe in their talents.”

Thailand finished their campaign without a point, having lost 4-1 to Uzbekistan and 3-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia.

Thailand head coach Jadet Meelarp admitted his squad did not have the required to compete at a premier Asian event like Saudi 2025. 

“I’d like to call on the Football Association of Thailand, the government, and other relevant agencies to consider restructuring our youth development system,” said Jadet.

“At this tournament, we could clearly see that every team is professional in both preparation and execution, and we’re still far behind. We need to change if we want to catch up.”

Source: AFC