The Subway Young Socceroos made it three wins from three overnight to finish top of Group A, defeating host nation China 2-1 in their final group stage match at the AFC U20 Asian Cup.
Handed a start by head coach Trevor Morgan for the clash with second-placed China, Melbourne City youngster Medin Memeti bagged the game’s opening goal in the 24th minute before midfielder Louis Agosti doubled their advantage less than 90 seconds later.
In a frantic first 30 minutes of the contest in Shenzhen, China pulled one back through Kuai Jiwen however the Young Socceroos held on, thanks largely to an impressive goalkeeping display from Macarthur’s Alexander Robinson to secure their third consecutive win at the tournament having already defeated both Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar.
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Finishing top of their group, Morgan’s side will now face the runner up from Group B in the Quarter-Finals, likely to be one of either Iraq, Saudi Arabia or Jordan on Saturday night.
“It was one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while, scoring my second goal for my country,” said Memeti when discussing his goal and the win after the game.
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“Even though I didn’t play in the first few games I feel like it was good to get my first game and make a goal so it was a good feeling.
He later added: “I feel like it was a good start. We just kept putting pressure on them, forcing them to get long balls and I feel like overall the team did very good to stay compact and stay strong.”
In total there were nine Isuzu UTE A-League graduates who started the game in China with Adelaide’s Jonny Yull and Fabian Talladira, Macarthur Bulls’ Alexander Robinson and Oliver Randazzo, Perth duo Jaylan Pearman and Zach Lisolajski, Sydney FC’s Tiago Quintal and Brisbane’s Lucas Herrington all featuring alongside Memeti, while Frans Deli, Josh Inserra and Luka Jovanovic all came off the bench during the 90 minutes.
In a further boost for the nation, should the Young Socceroos overcome their opponents on Saturday evening then they will also secure qualification for the FIFA U20 World Cup as well as booking their spot in the semi-finals.
