China’s forward Wang Yudong shields the ball against Japanese player Kosei Ogura during the U23 Asian Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 24, 2026. Photo: VCG

The Chinese men's national under-23 football team suffered a 4-0 defeat to Japan in the U23 Asian Cup final. But the runners-up finish marked China's best-ever result in the tournament.

Japan established control early in the final, taking the lead in the 12th minute before adding another eight minutes later to open up a two-goal advantage. 

A penalty and a long shot in the second half sealed the result, as the Chinese side conceded four goals in a single match for the first time in the tournament.

The four goals were the only ones conceded by the Chinese under-23 team throughout the entire tournament, underlining the defensive solidity they had shown en route to the final. 

The Chinese team, whose previous five appearances at the U23 Asian Cup were all recorded being eliminated in the group stage, was seeded at the lowest level in the 16-team competition but went into the final as a dark horse.

Despite the final defeat, the Chinese team's run in the tournament has injected much-needed confidence and hope into Chinese football at a time when the sport in China has been at a low ebb after years of underachievement in international competitions.

Under head coach Antonio Puche, the Chinese team had not conceded a goal in regular time of play after five matches en route to the final. 

Puche acknowledged ahead of the final that there remains a huge gap between Chinese and Japanese football, even though Japan's players are younger than his squad. 

The Japanese U23 team, though all of its players are under 21 rather than 23, is considered the strongest team in the tournament built on their smooth offensive transitions on the pitch, scoring 16 goals and conceding only one in regular time. 

The U23 final marks the first time a Chinese men's football team has faced Japan in a continental final in 22 years, since the senior Chinese national team's 3-1 home defeat to Japan in the 2004 Asian Cup final in Beijing.

Puche is expected to continue to lead the Chinese team to compete at the Asian Games later this year. Expectations are also growing that Puche will continue to lead a Chinese junior team toward the 2028 Olympics.