Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangsu: A four-goal haul from Han Il-hyok provided the catalyst for 2014 beaten finalists DPR Korea to begin their AFC U-19 Championship 2016 qualifying Group I campaign with a 6-0 win over Macau on Friday, while host nation China beat Malaysia by a similar scoreline to seal top spot at the end of a thrilling day in Jiangsu.
In what proved to be a blistering start to the game, Han opened his account in the eighth minute before doubling his tally with only 16 minutes gone at the Jiangsu Huai'an Sports Centre Stadium.
The talented forward duly bagged his hat-trick courtesy of a 21st minute penalty and added a fourth just four minutes later ahead of Jon Chung-il’s strike shortly after the half hour mark.
Macau rallied somewhat in the second period, although substitute Pak Kwang-chon, who had replaced the heroic Han in the 56th minute, rounded off the match with his side’s sixth goal with two minutes of the game remaining.
Meanwhile, China matched DPR Korea’s 6-0 success when they beat Malaysia in the group’s later game.
Zhang Yuning opened the scoring for the East Asians with a 32nd minute penalty and the livewire forward notched a second two minutes later to hand the host nation a 2-0 lead going into the break.
Not to be outdone, defender Gao Haisheng found the net twice within eight minutes of the restart to stretch China’s lead, an advantage that captain Yao Daogang further increased when he found the net in the 58th minute.
Substitute Shan Huanhuan, who was brought on for Zhang Yuning in the 86th minute, scored within 60 seconds of coming on to complete a morale boosting victory for head coach Li Ming’s side.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification (total 16 teams).
If Bahrain finish top of their qualifying group or one of the five second best-placed teams, the next (6th) second-placed team will qualify for the final competition.