U23 UAE had a completely on-field match against U23 China - a team currently led by a foreign coach. In the 30th minute, Eid Khamis took advantage of the scoring opportunity to help the home team take the lead. In the remaining time of the match, the West Asian team created many other good opportunities but failed to take advantage.
In the end, U23 UAE beat U23 China 1-0. Sohu newspaper has frankly pointed out that China U23 is completely inferior to its opponent. They commented: "The Chinese U23 players played with good spirit but were completely outclassed in terms of skill. Throughout the match, U23 China was completely pressured by the opponent, in addition to playing hard, the players' skills were only at normal level".
The same fate as U23 China is U23 Thailand. The "War Elephants" are confident in their goal of defeating the West Asian team. However, U23 Thailand conceded first in the 31st minute, after Mustafa tarek's header. In the remaining time of the match, U23 Thailand played very hard and created a balanced match with their opponents but could not find an equalizer. In the end, U23 Thailand lost 0-1 to U23 Qatar.
After the match, coach Worraot Srimaka apologized to Thai fans. He emphasized that the U23 Thai players played hard, many players were new to the field for the first time, so there were still some limitations. He is confident that he will help the team play better in the upcoming matches of the Dubai Cup.
In the remaining matches, U23 Saudi Arabia won U23 Uzbekistan 2-0, U23 Japan won U23 Croatia 1-0 and U23 Vietnam drew U23 Iraq 0-0. With this result after the first round, U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Japan, U23 UAE and U23 Qatar have taken the first positions. Meanwhile, U23 Uzbekistan, U23 China and U23 Thailand are in the bottom group.
