{"id":4015,"date":"2017-06-01T15:58:25","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T06:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/?p=4015"},"modified":"2017-06-01T16:11:47","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T07:11:47","slug":"five-standout-asian-players-fifa-u20-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/2017\/06\/01\/five-standout-asian-players-fifa-u20-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Five standout Asian players from the FIFA U-20 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Saudi Arabia&#8217;s 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Wednesday afternoon marked the elimination of Asian teams from the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup, the first time since 2011 that an AFC representative has failed to reach the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the disappointing conclusion, the competition did give Asian football observers some positive take-aways, including standout performances by several Asian players whose futures look bright for club and country.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4053\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/06\/JAPAN-vs-ITALY_170601_0022-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>JAPAN &#8211; RITSU DOAN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The\u00a018-year-old attacking midfielder came into the U-20 World Cup in solid form for Gamba Osaka, and it&#8217;s no exaggeration to say that he practically carried\u00a0Japan to the knockout stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Doan&#8217;s game-winner against South Africa came courtesy of a Takefusa Kubo assist, but it was his second goal of the night against Italy &#8211; both of which came after Japan found themselves trailing 0-2 &#8211; that deserved plaudits.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">His fearless dribble through half the Italian squad was as clear a sign of any that Doan will play a key role in Japan&#8217;s national team going forward.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match 32: Japan v. Italy - FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3nl2ijN_uRA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4044\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/06\/GettyImages-686985280-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>VIETNAM &#8211;\u00a0NGUYEN QUANG HAI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Although Vietnam&#8217;s outdoor FIFA debut ended in just one point from three matches, they deserve plenty of credit for their spirited performances and a fantastic turnout from their supporters. The glue that held the team together was captain Nguyen Quang Hai, who found himself positioned all across the midfield as a left winger, attacker, and even central defender.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">While the 20-year-old didn&#8217;t quite manage to score Vietnam&#8217;s first World Cup goal when he struck the post against Honduras, he&#8217;s already impressing in the V-League with four goals this season for Hanoi\u00a0FC.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match 34: Honduras v. Vietnam - FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DTKDPSqYcwY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4043\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/06\/GettyImages-690323816-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>KOREA REPUBLIC &#8211;\u00a0LEE SEUNG-WOO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">That Korea Republic will not be able to provide another packed house in this U-20 World Cup\u00a0is a disappointment, but as the senior team struggles to qualify for 2018 under embattled head coach Uli Stielike it was encouraging to see the country&#8217;s young generation demonstrate\u00a0their potential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Amongst the key players in Shin Tae-yong&#8217;s squad were a pair of Barcelona academy members in attackers Lee Seung-woo and Paik Seung-ho, who combined for four goals in the group stage.\u00a0Lee in particular earned deserved plaudits\u00a0his ripping goal against early Group A favorites Argentina.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The player known as the &#8220;Korean Messi&#8221; still needs time to progress before he finds his way onto a senior squad &#8211; whether in Europe or for the Taeguk Warriors &#8211; but he will undoubtedly become a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match 13: Korea Republic v. Argentina - FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QcAzAub1KUQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4041\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/06\/GettyImages-688880578-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>IRAN &#8211; REZA SHEKARI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite a promising U-20 World Cup opening win against Costa Rica, Iran were simply no match for eventual Group C winners Zambia or runners-up Portugal, who advanced to the quarter-finals following a win against hosts Korea Republic.<\/p>\n<p>One bright spot for the side was Reza Shekari, whose scored two goals to put Iran up 2-0 against the African side before conceding four unanswered goals in a 16-minute span.<\/p>\n<p>The recent Rostov signing punished Portugal early as well, heading in after just four minutes in Incheon before the Europeans clawed their way back to a 2-1 win in the second half.<\/p>\n<p>Shekari&#8217;s quick thinking to capitalise on a clearance error against Zambia is hopefully an indicator of how he&#8217;ll perform in the upcoming Russian Premier League.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match 17: Zambia v. Iran - FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Di9Z-YWsINo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4063\" src=\"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/06\/GettyImages-688123090-1024x618.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"618\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SAUDI ARABIA &#8211; ABDULRAHMAN AL YAMI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite coming into the tournament with low expectations and falling to Senegal in their World Cup opening match, Saudi Arabia made it to the Round of 16 off of a strong win against Ecuador and a scrappy draw against a shorthanded United States.<\/p>\n<p>The key behind their good results was Al Hilal youth star Abdulrahman Al Yami, whose dribbling abilities spearheaded the team&#8217;s attack. Without his brace against Ecuador, both served up by teammate Ayman Al Khulaif, Saudi Arabia would never have reached the\u00a0knockout stage where they were narrowly defeated by Uruguay.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match 23: Ecuador v. Saudi Arabia - FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PuYao599wjA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saudi Arabia&#8217;s 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Wednesday afternoon marked the elimination of Asian teams from the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup, the first time since 2011 that an AFC representative has failed to reach the quarter-finals. Despite the disappointing conclusion, the competition did give Asian football observers some positive take-aways, including standout performances by several Asian players whose futures look bright for club and country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":4064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,41,32,45,33,40],"tags":[825,871,204,846,869,331,759,95],"class_list":["post-4015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-iran","category-japan","category-saudi-arabia","category-south-korea","category-vietnam","tag-2017-fifa-u-20-world-cup","tag-abdulrahman-al-yami","tag-featured","tag-lee-seung-woo","tag-nguyen-quang-hai","tag-reza-shekari","tag-ritsu-doan","tag-slider"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}