At 22:00 beijing time on February 3, the semi-finals of the 2022 Women's Asian Cup continued, and the Chinese women's football team played 1-1 with the Japanese women's football team in the absence of the number one star Wang Shuang due to injury. In extra time, they fell behind again and tied again, and the women's soccer girls dragged Japan into a penalty shoot-out after 120 minutes. In the end, with the two saves of goalkeeper Zhu Yu, the Chinese women's football team eliminated the defending champion 6-5 on aggregate, advanced to the final of the Asian Cup, and marched to the 9th crown in the history of the team!
Adversity breaks the spell to regain the true color of the rose
The Chinese women's football team showed its rose nature in adversity, and the final victory was also the best reward for the women's football girls to fight bravely for 120 minutes, and it was also to break the curse of total defeat in recent years against the Japanese women's football team. After winning 2-1 in the 2016 Rio Olympic Qualifiers, the Chinese women's football team later lost four games against the Japanese women's football team, and finally ushered in the first victory in six years.
In fact, from the statistics and game scenes, the Chinese women's football team is obviously lagging behind the opponent. In terms of possession, the Chinese women's football team accounted for only 30%, shot 7 times, and was bombarded by the Japanese team with 20 feet and 61 dangerous attacks, which was less than half of the opponent. But it is in this situation that the Chinese women's football team insists on holding the draw to the end, and finally "shooting the sun" is successful!
In the first half, the Japanese team has been threatening the Chinese defense through their wing attacks, and the goal that broke the deadlock in the 26th minute also came from the left side of Miyazawa Hinata's high-quality bottom cross. Yi Bian fought again, Shui Qingxia replaced Zhang Rui and Xiao Yuyi to strengthen the attack and gain miraculous results, Xiao Yuyi got the ball and crossed the middle road, Wu Chengshu grabbed the point pad shot to equalize the score! The two teams drew 1-1 for the regular 90 minutes.
In the first half of extra time, Japan's No. 19 Ritsuko Uegi once again used a head hammer to rewrite the score. Just when everyone thought that the match would end 1-2, the Chinese women's football team scored another goal in the 119th minute, veteran Zhang Xin started from the left, wang Shanshan shot in front of the goal, 2-2 with Japan! In the penalty shootout, Zhu Yu, the goalkeeper from Wuhan Women's Football Team, saved the penalty twice, captain Wang Shanshan scored the winning penalty, and the Chinese women's football team won 4-3 in the penalty shootout, reaching the final of the Asian Cup after 14 years with a total score of 6-5!
You can always trust the Chinese women's football team
After the game, Wang Shuang wrote on his personal social media: "Sisters! Be proud of you, you can always believe in the Chinese women's football team! "In this game, the core of the team, Wang Shuang, was absent due to injury, and it is for this reason that fans did not have much confidence in the Chinese women's football team that played in the residual team.
In the face of the first real strong player in this Asian Cup, Shui Qingxia stressed before the game that the Chinese women's football team should play its own things and limit the japanese team's play as much as possible. It turns out that the water coaching tactics are appropriate and the use of people is innovative, Wang Shuang is weak in pre-match training, Shui Qingxia did not let the top scorer risk the battle, but also put Wang Shanshan of the "Wang Bomb Combination" in the center back position, trying to use her speed to suppress the Japanese team's attack, such a deployment I am afraid that the Japanese team did not expect. Japan coach Tai Ikeda said: "In the absence of the main force, they have performed well and tenaciously. ”
Although after defeating Vietnam in the quarter-finals, the Chinese women's football team has won the ticket for the 2023 Women's World Cup, but before the men's football team embarrassingly lost to Japan and Vietnam, and then had its own 6 years of no win against Japan, such a victory is absolutely perfect counterattack. The tenacious struggle shown by the Chinese women's football team throughout the game and the spirit of never giving up until the last minute are commendable and deserve to be touched by all fans. With this great victory, the women's football girls will compete with South Korea for the Asian Cup on February 6th!
Text/Hubei Daily reporter Hu Yuwei
Photo, video/Weibo, Wang Shuang social media