East Asia Wrap: Avispa rise to top; Shanghai Shenhua and Daejeon continue strong form

In Korea Republic, Daejeon Hana maintained their spot at the summit despite a dramatic draw with FC Seoul, while Ulsan HD remained in third after a narrow win over Daegu.

In Hong Kong, Tai Po extended their lead, and Lee Man demonstrated their dominance with a resounding victory over Kitchee.

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The 17-year-old was not included by head coach Back Ki-tae’s in the starting 11 in their 1-0 loss to Indonesia in Group C, but made a superb tournament debut when he scored twice in the 6-0 defeat of Afghanistan in their second match.

The small-statured Shoev struck the second goal in his side’s well-deserved 3-1 win over Islamic Republic of Iran in their final AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2025 group tie, which lifted them to the top of Group D and paved the way for an enticing quarter-final showdown with Korea Republic on Monday.

The forward had a quiet night out in his first Group C match against Korea Republic, creating only one chance as his side walked off victorious with a last-minute goal by Evandra Florasta.

The 17-year-old team captain has been a solid, steady influence up front and in midfield, and in guiding his team to the quarter-finals, has kept DPR Korea on course for their third title.

The handsome win means the 2012 champions will face either Indonesia or DPR Korea in the semi-finals on Thursday.

The absorbing contest was tied 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes with Saudi Arabia to face either Tajikistan or Korea Republic in Thursday’s semi-final.

The Young Garuda topped Group C with a maximum of nine points, scoring seven and conceding one to finish at the top three points clear of second-placed Korea Republic.

Their journey to the knockout stage, however, made for a bumpy ride. They needed a spot-kick rebound from Evandra Florasta two minutes into time added on to stun two-time champions Korea Republic 1-0 in their first match.

The 2018 finalists put on a display of fast, attacking football in their 3-1 win over Islamic Republic of Iran in their final Group D match to qualify for the knockout stage and claim a berth at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

Across the 24 matches played in Taif and Jeddah, there were plenty of goals to cheer and exciting drama to savour as the next generation of Asian talents took centrestage.