Henan Shiyan Hansen won the boys' U13 title in the fifth Chinese Youth Football League in 2026. A 0–0 draw against Dalian Yingbo Dagong Fuxiao at Dalian's Jinzhou Stadium on October 17 secured its first championship, 2–0 on aggregate. The goalless finale protected the first-leg advantage.
The two-goal lead comes from the first leg
The home-and-away final began at the north-campus football ground of Henan Experimental High School on October 10. Zhu Zhili scored twice for a 2–0 win. Henan thus began the return two ahead, while Dalian needed to recover the deficit.
Both advanced through two-legged semi-finals: Henan beat Shenzhen Cuiyuan 4–2 on aggregate, while Dalian Yingbo Dagong Fuxiao defeated Dalian U13 3–0.
Midfield adjustments and two key threats
The Chinese Football Association reported Dalian using two strikers to seek goals, while Henan replaced forward Fan Haolong with starting midfielder Li Mingze to strengthen midfield. Henan remained compact; Dalian also tried dropping back and using the flanks for quick transitions.
Home player Cheng Zirui struck first time from a corner in the seventeenth minute without scoring, then had a shot saved after cutting in from the left in the 26th. Both kept searching through substitutions and set pieces afterward, with Henan's Xu Hecong also threatening directly from a free kick.
Dalian persisted late. In the last minute of normal time, Wang Zihan hit the post from a free kick nearly forty meters out but could not break through. The return stayed goalless, leaving the first leg's 2–0 as the final aggregate gap.
| Leg | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| First leg | Henan Shiyan Hansen U13 | 2–0 | Dalian Yingbo Dagong Fuxiao U13 |
| Second leg | Dalian Yingbo Dagong Fuxiao U13 | 0–0 | Henan Shiyan Hansen U13 |
Henan coach Dong Ziyuan praised attack, defense, set pieces, transitions and willpower. Dalian coach Zang Yongji stressed experience gained from the long competition from preliminary rounds to the final. These are their assessments of their teams and the event.
INKA SPORTS analysis: A lead changes the contest's conditions
Henan did not need to repeat its first-leg goals, but to make repeated recovery chances hard for Dalian. More midfield presence and compact positioning served balance and space control. Cheng's two threats and the late post nevertheless show a clean sheet does not mean the hosts never approached a goal.
Conclusion
Henan secured its first title by building a lead and then retaining it. The U13 finish completes this edition's boys' competition, with Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang the U15 and U17 champions.
