YINCHUAN, China, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Host China drew 1-1 with Nigeria in the final round of the 2026 CFA Team China International Youth Football Tournament in Yinchuan on Saturday, finishing the U17 four-nation friendly tournament with one win, one draw and one loss.
China opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Australia before losing 2-0 to Tanzania. With four points from three matches, China finished second in the standings.
Nigeria made the brighter start, testing China's defense with several long-range efforts in the opening 10 minutes. The visitors took the lead in the 11th minute when Idor Samuel headed home from a corner kick.
China gradually settled into the match through patient passing and possession. In the 26th minute, Zhao Songyuan broke forward and delivered a precise assist, allowing Zhang Junhao to fire home from inside the box to level the score.
Neither side could find a winner after the break. Nigeria had a goal ruled out for offside, while China pushed forward late in the match but failed to convert its chances. In stoppage time, Wang Heyi's free kick sailed just over the crossbar as the game ended 1-1.
At the post-match press conference, China head coach Bin Ukishima said his team improved after making adjustments at halftime, particularly in defensive organization.
"Among the three matches, this was our best performance in terms of controlling the attacking rhythm," Ukishima said. "However, we still need to improve our efficiency in front of goal and our ability to finish chances."
The Yinchuan tournament served as valuable preparation for China ahead of the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar in November, where the team will face Morocco in the group stage.
Reflecting on the matches against Tanzania and Nigeria, Ukishima said the physical strength, intense pressing and aggressive style of the African teams exposed areas where China needs to improve.
"Our biggest challenges are physical duels and maintaining high-intensity running throughout the match," he said. "Players rarely face opponents who can repeatedly sprint and press at such a high level in daily training. We need to improve our overall endurance and physicality to compete in these kinds of games."
Zhang said he was delighted to score after missing out on the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup.
"I have worked hard in training and hoped to catch up with the team again," Zhang said. "I'm very happy to score today. The whole team created a great attacking move, and Zhao Songyuan's through ball was excellent. I didn't want to waste the opportunity."
Nigeria head coach Uwejamomere Eboboritse Omasanjuwa praised the quality of the match, saying both teams showed a high level of competition.
"We started strongly and scored first," he said. "But China changed its approach after conceding, and we struggled to deal with their adjustments in the first half. They created several chances and scored the equalizer. We made changes at halftime and managed to keep a clean sheet in the second half." ■
