Journalist Kim mistakenly reported that "winning the championship is a gratifying thing. Taking off the championship medal around her neck, 55-year-old Shui Qingxia returned to calm, "We see the direction of the future, whether in terms of technical tactics or psychology, we will go in the right direction." ”
On February 6, 2022, the Chinese women's football team defeated South Korea 3-2 in New Mumbai, and after 16 years, it is back to the top of Asia – it is hard to imagine that 194 days ago, after the group stage of the Tokyo Olympic Games, they were devastated and devastated.
For the outside world, the more dramatic tension of the "Phoenix Nirvana" is naturally talked about, and the good news of the women's football team holding the cup also burst into social networks during the Spring Festival; but for Shui Qingxia and her disciples, what they are more eager for is the stable support of the outside world, "whether it succeeds or fails."
When she went to India to compete, Shui Qingxia had an idea, "I hope to enter the final, I think there is a drama, I have to fight", but at the same time, she also has pressure, if the results are not as good as the previous session, the next will be difficult.
Speaking of which, Shui Qingxia's position is "airborne" by the General Bureau, not a competition by the Football Association.
After the Tokyo Olympics, Jia Xiuquan was shelved, and the team was led by Shui Qingxia to compete in the Shaanxi National Games under the name of "United Team". At the National Games, the outside world regarded it as the first local female coach in the history of the Chinese women's football team, but Shui Qingxia herself refused to admit it, and even automatically filtered such topics.
After winning the gold medal at the National Games, Shui Qingxia no longer hid it and boldly said her own appeal: I hope to be a coach in the national team and show on the world stage, and everyone hopes to do the best in different lines - dreams, everyone has.
However, in the original plan of the Football Association, Shui Qingxia was not the first choice. Although Du Zhaocai, vice chairman of the Football Association in charge of the women's national football team, talked with Shui Qingxia in Xi'an, it was limited to this.
Shui Qingxia did not participate in the competition in the end, and she did not want to accompany the run - before, she had already "accompanied" Eyolsson and Jia Xiuquan, and this time, it was Zhao Junzhe who carried the "inner aura".
The circle is so big, Shui Qingxia actually knows everything.
After the competition, the manager did not come out as promised, and rumors flew all over the place. Until November 18 last year, the Chinese Football Association suddenly announced that Shui Qingxia served as the coach of women's football. She did not participate in the competition, and took office because the Football Association "considered and carefully studied the decision on the basis of extensive solicitation of opinions".
Shui Qingxia, who was in Kunming, immediately changed roles and began to investigate the team members, in fact, the time is already a bit tight, the Asian Cup is imminent, and the national team needs to rebuild.
Shui Qingxia is very familiar with women's football circles, although she has not independently led a national team, she knows that a big competition like the Asian Cup requires experience, and the big list of "Water Phase I", she recalls a lot of veterans.
"The veteran players are a treasure in my opinion, they have been playing for many years, they have a lot of experience in the game, and they can play an exemplary role, which is very important." Shui Qingxia said. Zhang Rui, Li Ying, Ma Jun, Lou Jiahui and so on have all entered the Asian Cup list.
Similarly, Shui Qingxia also gave the ticket to India to 20-year-old Zhang Linyan, and there were 5 post-00s in the 34-person roster of "Water Phase I", and only Zhang Linyan got the opportunity. It turns out that Shui Qingxia's trust has been rewarded.
"He has lifted the Asian Cup five times in 11 years and is the first golden generation player to serve as the head coach of the Chinese team. She knows better than anyone how to win the Asian Cup. Before the start of the Asian Cup, the AFC introduced Shui Qingxia with such words.
'As a player, I played for the national team and now I'm playing in the Asian Cup again as a coach and it's a great experience to be able to interact with other teams.' In the face of the AFC interview, Shui Qingxia's answer was also "official", as for the most memorable moment, "of course, winning the championship and sharing the joy of victory together." ”
Shui Qingxia longed for the championship, Zhang Linyan said with tears after winning the championship, "We are here for the championship", but before the start of the tournament, there are not many domestic optimism about this team, after all, the strength of Japan and Australia is very strong, and South Korea should not be underestimated.
Another point, the time is too short, Shui Qingxia is magical, it may be difficult to make the team transform, the gold medal of the National Games, in fact, is not convincing.
What Shui Qingxia did the most was to communicate, chat with the players, enhance their confidence, and at the same time, trust each other. Previously, when playing the National Games, she also did this; in addition, she told the players the responsibilities of the position and her own training requirements, "let the players do it".
The group stage is just a small test, whether it is 4-0 Chinese Taipei or 7-0 Iran, there is not much reference value, the test starts from the knockout round, Shui Qingxia may not have expected that starting from 3-1 Vietnam, there were actually three "big reversals", and the semi-finals and finals are even more heart-pounding.
In the semi-finals, the opponent of the Chinese women's football team is Japan, although they only reached the quarterfinals in the Olympic Games, but Ji Wei is still there, not to mention, the Chinese women's football team has not won them for six years.
But Shui Qingxia has the capital, winning the Asian Cup five times as a player, and playing four games between China and Japan: in 1986, it was two encounters with Japan, both 2-0 (group stage and final); in 1991 it was 5-0 (final); in 1995 it was 2-0 (final).
However, as Shui Qingxia said, the previous confrontation has passed, and now everything is possible, "I personally hope to win the ninth championship, which is also the unanimous goal of the team." ”
Shui Qingxia admitted that Japan is a strong team, "passing and receiving the ball is very mature, with tacit understanding and proficiency", playing a strong team, "needs courage and the spirit of daring to fight", she said, in addition to the strengths and avoid the weaknesses, the players also have to play their own characteristics and spirit, "enjoy the game itself."
That game was indeed very difficult, Wang Shuang was absent due to injury, Lou Jiahui left the game due to injury, and in the game, the Chinese women's football team has been behind. Most of the time, Shui Qingxia was standing, and in the end, the Chinese women's football team also stood up straight, did not lie down, and relied on the penalty shootout to eliminate the number one favorite.
"Before the game, I said that we need the courage to fight and the tenacious fighting spirit, and the need for the players to be more confident, and today they all did it, thank the team members, thank our team." Shui Qingxia said.
The final opponent is South Korea.
South Korea coach Colin Bell told his players before the game, "You have made history, new history, waiting for you to create." "The Englishman wants a shame – in the Tokyo Olympic Preliminary Play-off, they were reversed by the Chinese women's football team in the lead, and he does not want history to repeat itself.
But sometimes, football is so dramatic.
This time, the leader is still the South Korean. In the 44th minute, the Australian referee gave them another penalty, two in hand, and Colin Bell laughed.
Shui Qingxia's face is livid, although she has made a backward plan, but in the face of a 0-2 situation, she admits that it was the most difficult moment during the entire Asian Cup.
In the locker room, Shui Qingxia told the players not to think too much, the score is not important, play the spirit, put down the baggage, "At that time, it was 0 to 2, thinking too much did not have much effect." Shui Qingxia said after the game.
At the same time, Shui Qingxia replaced Wang Shuang with an injured wang shuang with Zhang Linyan, and Wang Shanshan returned to the frontcourt. In the first half, at least two Koreans were close to Wang Shuang, and in the Olympic Preliminary Round, Wang Shuang's killing made them unforgettable, and the end of the number one star may have made the Koreans unload their defenses.
But this time, Shui Qingxia's substitution once again saved the team, and two players from women's A changed the trajectory of the game.
In the 67th minute, Zhang Linyan made a penalty, Tang Jiali hit the penalty; in the 72nd minute, Tang Jiali crossed, Zhang Linyan's header equalized; in the 3rd minute of extra time, Wang Shanshan sent a wonderful pass, Xiao Yuyi killed.
Shui Qingxia shook her fist hard, and after the game, she said that she was very excited, "At this critical moment, it is not easy for players to stand up, I feel the upward strength." ”
When the referee blew the final whistle, "China Red" shined on the DV Patil stadium.
While celebrating with her assistants, Shui Qingxia ran to the bench, she had to put down her glasses, because next, her disciples were going to throw her up - when the semi-final penalty defeated Japan, the girls wanted to do it, but Shui Qingxia refused, after all, there is still the final, and now, the champion is in hand, can be carnival.
"It was thrown twice, and it was a bit dizzy." Shui Qingxia said it was like she was drunk, but she could see that her hands were still clutching the players, "I'm afraid they can't catch me."
"It feels good ,especially when I see the fighting spirit that everyone inspires when they're behind," Shui Qingxia said, "Thanks to all the players, they overcame themselves and defeated their opponents in difficult situations." ”
The first stop of the national team manager's career won the Asian Cup, and it was 16 years later, which is a source of pride for Shui Qingxia. But she was sober and said before the final that she was happy to win the championship, but it was not a great record. After the game, she stressed that it was not a smooth road ahead of winning the championship, "the problem was exposed in the game.".
In fact, Shui Qingxia also admitted that the champion has an element of "luck".
For Shui Qingxia, the previous National Games is a mock exam, this Asian Cup, just a small exam, a few months later, the Hangzhou Asian Games, is a stage exam, as for her big exam, it is next year's World Cup, and the Paris Olympic Games, will be the ultimate exam, before the final exam, she will also have to experience a cruel Olympic qualifier.
Therefore, after returning to China on February 7, Shui Qingxia will begin to plan the next step: at the technical and tactical level, it is necessary to refine and improve; the psychological level of players should be more domineering and more confident.
And all this must be implemented in the training, "the training is more intense, more arduous, and more solid." When encountering more difficult opponents, there will be no big fluctuations and more confidence. ”
Regaining the championship, rewards and praise poured in, and the Chinese women's football team continued to dominate the screen circle. In this regard, Shui Qingxia hopes that the outside world can give support "smoothly", "whether it is success or failure".