China fights back to beat Saudi Arabia, reach U17 Asian Cup semifinals

China fought back from a goal down to defeat host Saudi Arabia 3-1 and book its place in the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup on Friday.

Playing in front of a passionate home crowd, Saudi Arabia struck first in the 21st minute when Faisal Bayomi converted from close range after being set up by Ammar Maimani on the left flank.

China responded positively and found the equalizer six minutes later. Wan Xiang collected the ball inside the penalty area, turned past his marker and calmly slotted his finish into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-1.

The Chinese side continued to grow into the match after halftime and completed the turnaround in the 59th minute. He Sifan nodded the ball into the path of Zhao Songyuan, who reacted quickest inside the six-yard box to finish from close range and give China a 2-1 lead.

Saudi Arabia pushed forward in search of an equalizer during the closing stages, but China sealed the victory deep into stoppage time through a moment of brilliance from He. The midfielder dribbled past two defenders before unleashing a powerful long-range strike that clipped the underside of the crossbar and crossed the line.

The result sent China into the semifinals.

"We are very excited after beating Saudi Arabia," Zhao said after the match. "Our next goal is to fight with all our strength, strive to win the championship and continue making history."

"We are getting better and better," he added. "As long as we do well in duels and transitions and continue to work hard, we can win the title."