Riyadh, April 4 -- China suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to host Saudi Arabia in its opening match as the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup kicked off in the Saudi city of Taif.
Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 11th minute on Thursday when onrushing goalkeeper Yihesan Yilamu slipped, leaving an open goal for Abdulhadi Matari to calmly slot home.
The host doubled its lead in first-half stoppage time, as Osamah Al Daghmah finished off a counterattack.
China managed to pull one back deep into second-half injury time when Wei Xiangxin cut inside
from the left and fired into the near corner. A total of 16 teams are divided into four groups.
China has been drawn into Group A along with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.
Earlier in the day, Uzb...