U17 national team's secret weapon! 2-meter goalkeeper comes on in stoppage time and saves two penalties in shootout, lifted in tribute after reaching final.

In the semifinal of the Rising Star Champions Cup on August 7 Beijing time, the Chinese U17 men's team beat River Plate U17 3-1 on penalties to reach the final. They will face Arsenal U17 again for the championship.

This match was incredibly dramatic, with both teams having chances to win in regular time. River Plate had a goal disallowed for a foul in the first half. In the second half, the U17 national team was awarded a penalty, but Zhao Songyuan unfortunately missed it.

Since the tournament has no extra time, a draw in regular time leads directly to a penalty shootout. Therefore, in stoppage time, coach Toshiki Uki made a bold substitution. In the 93rd minute, Jiang Yuhan came on as a substitute, replacing starting goalkeeper Jiang Chengen.

And it turned out that Uki's gamble paid off. Jiang Yuhan saved two penalties in the shootout.

Among the four penalty kicks, he guessed the right direction for all of them. He got a hand to three, saving two, and one that he touched still went in. For the River Plate players, Jiang Yuhan was an insurmountable obstacle.

After the match, Jiang Yuhan was lifted high by his teammates in tribute. That night, as a secret weapon, he truly deserved such honor.

Jiang Yuhan, 16 years old, comes from the Qingdao Hainiu youth academy of the Chinese Super League. According to his previous interview, his height has now reached 2 meters. If he can maintain this growth momentum, it might only be a matter of time before he is selected for the national team.