1:2 defeat to the North Korean women's football team, after the Paris Olympic qualifiers on the evening of the 26th, from the team to the fans, it is difficult to say how lonely.
The atmosphere of silence pervades, with fans in the stadium opening lane, players in the exit passage, quiet media buses, and even the Chinese team's post-match press conference that did not even use up the opportunity to ask questions.
Chinese women's football coach Shui Qingxia quietly faced the camera, and then opened with the sentence "Everyone knows what this loss means", and it was difficult to hide the loss between words.
A few days ago, Song Kai, the new head of the Football Association, had a more vivid metaphor for the Chinese men's football team: "Although it is a pot of cabbage, it cannot be stewed." ”
This sentence also seems to apply to the current Chinese women's football.
Chinese women's football coach Shui Qingxia at the post-match press conference. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
This scene has been seen
The first match of the Olympic preliminary round against the North Korean women's football team was a hard battle to be expected.
In this "death group", if the Chinese women's football team wants to compete for the first place in the group, at least it must ensure that it cannot lose, otherwise it will lose the initiative to qualify, and the hope of rushing to the Paris Olympics has become slim.
But in the game, even if the Chinese women's team, which conceded a goal first, equalized and regained its rhythm in the second half, the final result was still a bitter loss.
Live score screen. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
Is this scene somewhat familiar? At the Women's World Cup in July, the Chinese women's team faced the same situation, wanting to qualify from the group, the result of the first match against Denmark was crucial, but in the end, the Chinese women's team was defeated by their opponents.
In the game, the team also took the initiative for a while, and the balance of promotion was infinitely close to the side of the Chinese women's team.
Although the results of these two matches were the same, in terms of process, the match against the North Korean women's football team was even more desperate.
In recent years, although the North Korean women's football team has rarely appeared in international competitions, it still retains considerable strength and has completed the renewal.
At present, the oldest player in the North Korean women's football team is only 24 years old, and the vast majority of players are in their early 20s, but their individual skills are not bad. In layman's terms, all the opponents are young and powerful like Zhang Linyan, a Chinese women's football team.
In terms of performance on the field, the North Korean women's football team is stronger than the Chinese women's football team in terms of individual skills, physical fitness, and the overall kneading of the team.
Wu Chengshu is one of the few highlights of the Chinese women's football team. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
Although the result of losing this crucial battle is unacceptable, in terms of process, it is completely in line with the objective status quo.
The other match in the same group was played earlier, with South Korea Women's team beating Thailand Women's 10-1. After the game, South Korean coach Colin Bale admitted that North Korea is the strongest in this group.
Today, this judgment is indeed quite accurate and objective.
Wu Chengshu (red) in the game. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
"Know what it means"
At the post-match press conference, Shui Qingxia looked down. "Everyone knows what this defeat means. The players all gave their best and the result was a pity. ”
In the match against the North Korean women's football team, only in the opening 4th minute, the Chinese women's football team attacked without success, and the opponent counterattacked with a long pass.
It was not until the 30th minute that the Chinese women's team completed the first shot on goal, and the entire first half was extremely passive.
In this regard, Shui Qingxia said: "The players were a little anxious in the first half, too much force, resulting in deformation of the action, and there was a change after the substitution adjustment in the second half. ”
For the next matches, Shui Qingxia believes: "A team always has to grow, always has to face a lot of problems, first of all, I have to adjust, and the players must also play well against Thailand and South Korea. ”
Uzhgumura (Red) played as a starting striker. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
Next, be yourself
Indeed, as Sui Kyung-ha said, the team still needs to focus on the next two games, and at the moment it does not make much sense to dwell on the result with North Korea.
But the key is how to focus? In this year's three major competitions, the Chinese women's football team lost more than one in the most crucial tough battle.
In addition to losing the World Cup opening match with Denmark, in the semifinals of the Asian Games, the Chinese women's football team at home lost 3:4 to the substitute Japanese women's team.
In the final match of the World Cup group stage, although there is a gap between the strength of the Chinese women's football team and the English women's football team, the 1:6 defeat is obviously too exaggerated.
The only tough battle that the Chinese women's football team has really won this year is the second round of the World Cup group stage match against the Haitian women's football team, which has one less team to play.
Data map: Chinese women's football team 1:6 England women's football team, did not qualify from the group. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
More worrying than these results is the process.
In the match with the North Korean women's football team, it can still be clearly seen that although the Chinese women's football team finally scored in the key battle, there are still no offensive methods and clear offensive routines in the central midfield.
Previously, the new president of the Football Association, Song Kai, had a more vivid metaphor for the Chinese men's football team, "Although it is a pot of cabbage, it cannot be stewed." ”
This sentence also seems to apply to the current Chinese women's football. The Chinese women's soccer team does not seem to be in a state where it can reach its full potential.
Chinese women's football team mobilized before the match. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
According to the current situation, the most realistic goal of the Chinese women's football team is to become the second best in the three groups, which requires the team to win the Thai women's team and the Korean women's team, which is the last opportunity for the team to prove itself, and it can be regarded as a bottom line.
So regardless of the prospects, the Chinese women's football team must first do its own thing, and then talk about the rest.
Source: China-Singapore Sports Forum