China defeats Uzbekistan at the Asian Games, ending 28-year medal drought

China defeated Uzbekistan 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on Saturday to claim the men's football bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, ending a 28-year wait for a place on the podium.

Goalkeeper Li Hao was the hero in the shootout at Toyota Stadium, saving two penalties to help China secure its fourth Asian Games medal in men's football.

China had previously won bronze in 1978, silver in 1994, and bronze in 1998. It was also China's first medal in the event since the men's tournament introduced an under-23 age limit at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

China made a fast start, taking the lead in the 15th minute. Hu Hetao exchanged passes with Kuai Jiwen before breaking into the box and finishing to put China ahead.

Uzbekistan, fielding a side without any over-age players, gradually took control of the game and equalized in the 42rd minute through Sardorbek Bakhromov, who finished a combination move with a low shot into the far corner.

China regained the lead eight minutes after the restart. Wang Yudong received a pass before cutting a right-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.

China came close to extending its advantage when Zhang Yuning struck the post, but Uzbekistan continued to press for an equalizer.

The Uzbek side finally leveled in the 89th minute. Li Hao saved the initial effort, but Shodiyor Shodiboyev followed up to score after a lengthy VAR review confirmed the goal.

With no extra time in the bronze-medal match, the game went directly to a penalty shootout.

Li then made two saves as China prevailed 4-3 to secure the bronze.

China had lost 2-1 to South Korea in the semifinals, missing the chance to reach the final as it did at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games. After the semifinal defeat, however, head coach Antonio Puche and his players emphasized their determination to fight for a medal.

Puche said the bronze was a significant reward for a group of young players. "The match was very tough for both teams," Puche said after the match. "I have to say congratulations to the Uzbekistan team because they fought until the very last second. But we got our medal, and in this moment I am the happiest coach in the world."

"These players have a fantastic future. We need to work, we need to push them because we have players with big quality and big heart. This is very important in football," he added.

Puche also highlighted China's progress this year. "This year was unbelievable," he said. "To get second place in Saudi Arabia in the under-23 Asian Cup, and now the third place, is unbelievable."

China had also defeated Uzbekistan on penalties at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January. The two sides drew 0-0 after extra time in the quarterfinals before China prevailed 4-2 in the shootout, with Li Hao saving one of Uzbekistan's penalties. It was China's first-ever appearance in the semifinals of the tournament.

Puche said China had also prepared specifically for penalty shootouts, practicing them regularly in training.

Uzbekistan coach Ravshan Khaydarov said his team controlled much of the game, but was unable to prevail from the spot.

"This is the second time we lost on penalties. It's hard to speak about it," Khaydarov said. "Regarding the game, we controlled all of the first half and second half, but we lost on penalties."

For China, the bronze ended a long wait for an Asian Games medal and gave the team a place on the podium for the first time since 1998.