The Chinese U20 women's football team achieved a resounding 6-0 victory, marking a successful start in the Asian Cup qualifying rounds.

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the evening of August 6, the first round of Group E in the 2026 U20 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers was held at the Helan Mountain Sports Center in Yinchuan, Ningxia. The home team, the Chinese U20 women's team, displayed their dominance with a 6-0 win over Syria, marking a strong start. This match acted as a benchmark for British coach Colin Bell since he assumed the role of head coach, with the U20 team showing promise in their offensive efforts.

With over 10,000 fans cheering in the stands, the Chinese U20 women's team took control from the start, with Lu Jiayu scoring two goals in the 10th and 27th minutes. Young player Zheng Lu added a spectacular volley in the 40th minute, and Zhang Yiqian scored again during stoppage time in the first half, giving China a four-goal lead at halftime. In the second half, the team continued to press their opponents, with goals from Xiao Yafei and Li Ke, finalizing the score at 6-0.

Lu Jiayu's opening two goals

The 2026 U20 Women's Asian Cup finals will be held in Thailand. The qualifying tournament consists of 8 groups, with the top team from each group and the three best second-placed teams advancing to the finals, joining the host nation, Thailand. The Chinese U20 women's team is in Group E alongside Syria, Lebanon, and Cambodia, with all matches set to take place in Yinchuan.

On October 8 last year, in preparation for the 2026 U20 Women's Asian Cup and the U20 Women's World Cup, the Chinese Football Association appointed Colin Bell as head coach of the Chinese U20 women's national football team (for the 2006 and 2007 age groups) following a public selection process. Colin Bell played in top leagues in England and Germany during his career. As a coach, he has previously managed teams such as Frankfurt's women's team, the Ireland women's national team, and the South Korea women's team. Colin Bell once competed against the Chinese women's team for an Olympic spot in Tokyo but ultimately lost, missing qualification for the Games.

After serving as the head coach of the South Korea women's team for 4 years and 8 months, Colin Bell took up the role of head coach for the Chinese U20 women's team in early October 2024.

Now, with 10 months in the role, Colin Bell expressed satisfaction with the team's development and construction, stating, "Everything has been going quite smoothly. During the preparation period, we conducted a lot of high-intensity training and have been trying to increase training intensity. Currently, the trend in football is high-intensity, fast-paced competition, and we haven't quite reached our expectations in this aspect, but we are continually improving and striving in that direction."

The 64-year-old British coach communicates effectively with the U20 players, accurately expressing phrases like "good morning" and "did you sleep well" in Chinese, and he is working hard to learn some football terminology in Mandarin. "This way, I can convey instructions as quickly as possible. I will try to remember these phrases because they are really important in fast-paced matches," said Colin Bell.

To select the most talented players for the U20 national team, Colin Bell has watched many relevant matches. "I have identified some key players, which is why they have been with us since the first training camp until now."

This British coach hopes for more fan support for the U20 women's team, stating, "What I want to say to the fans is that I am here to win. Our only goal is to win matches, and we can showcase the unique strength of our Chinese girls to those who come to watch our games, demonstrating our best spirit."

In another match of the first round in Group E, the Cambodia U20 women's team lost 0-1 to the Lebanon U20 women's team. According to the schedule, the Chinese U20 women's team will face their second group opponent, Cambodia, on the evening of August 8, followed by their final group match against Lebanon on August 10.