China's national under-20 team defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the #AFCU20 Asian Cup, marking their first win in the group stage. Photos: Asian Football Confederation

The long underachieving sport of Chinese men's soccer finally got some good news recently, as the under-20 national team defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the under-20 Asian Cup, keeping their qualifying hopes for the quarterfinals alive amid rampant scandals.

The beleaguered sport is in limbo, highlighted by anti-graft investigations into Chinese Football Association head Chen Xuyuan and former head coach of the senior national team Li Tie.

The victory over Saudi Arabia, the defending champions, witnessed a surprisingly low ball possession by Team China, as statistics show the Saudis dominated control of the ball 75.9 percent to China's 24.1 percent. However, the Chinese team finished with five shots on target in eight tries, compared to the opponents' six on target in 16 tries. 

What's more, this is not the best team squad for the Chinese under-20 team as several other young high-profile players, such as Liu Shaoziyang of Bayern Munich and playmaker He Xiaoke of CE Sabadell in Spain, were not at the match.

In a group that features Asian powerhouses Japan and Saudi Arabia, expectations for the young Chinese soccer team to qualify for the quarterfinals were dim, after years of underachievement in the intra-continental tournament.

Unlike his Spanish compatriots who thrived with the famed tiki-taka tactic, which underlines ball possession and helped Spain dominate international soccer from 2008 to 2012, China's head coach Antonio Puche of Spain has remained inflexible when it comes to counterattack tactics since joining China in 2018 as the under-16 head coach.

His tactics were under scrutiny from fans, but it has proven to be a pragmatic choice at the under-20 Asian Cup. The previous two times the national team reached the under-20 event saw them get eliminated after just two matches in the group stage.

China will take on Kyrgyzstan on Thursday. A win will secure the team a place in the quarterfinals.

The semifinalists at the Asian under-20 tournament will automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the most prestigious event for under-20 players. However, Team China has not made it to the cup since 2005. 

Some fans anticipate a revival for Chinese men's soccer with this younger generation of players. With Puche at the helm and the use of counterattack tactics, it is reasonable to be optimistic, for now.