Asian Cup 2023. Tajikistan played to a goalless draw against China in their debut match

Yesterday marked the start of the 2023 Asian Cup, and today, the group stage opponents Qatar and Lebanon - China and Tajikistan - contested their opening match.

China was considered a slight favorite in this encounter but failed to create any scoring opportunities against their opponent in the first 45 minutes. Tajikistan, making their debut in the tournament, performed impressively.

In the second half, the Chinese team attempted to change the course of the match through substitutions, but ultimately couldn't defeat the resilient debutant. In the 80th minute, after a corner kick, China scored a goal, but after a prolonged VAR review, the referees disallowed it due to offside.

Asian Cup 2023. Group А

China 0-0 Tajikistan

In the second round, Tajikistan will face Qatar, while China will seek to advance from the group by playing against Lebanon, the main underdog in the quartet.