On May 10, 2024, in the latest U17 Women's Asian Cup, the North Korean women's football team defeated the South Korean women's football team 7-0 and the Philippine women's football team 6-0 in the first two rounds of the group stage, hitting 13 goals without conceding a goal, performing well at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, surpassing the Japanese women's football team to become the number one favorite to win the tournament. Although the Chinese women's football team also won two consecutive victories to advance to the semi-finals, there is still a gap in strength compared with the North Korean women's football team, in order to avoid encountering the North Korean women's football team in the knockout round, the Chinese women's football team must defeat the Japanese women's football team in the final round to win the first place in the group.
The outstanding performance of the North Korean women's football team in this Asian Cup has attracted widespread attention from fans, and there are also many doubts. Some fans bluntly said that many of the players in the North Korean team do not look like girls under the age of 17 at all, but more like adults in their 20s. Could it be that the North Korean women's football team has "enhanced" its strength by changing the age and letting some overage players mix into the youth team?
As we all know, North Korea has always been a traditional powerhouse in Asian football, and it has repeatedly won championships at all levels. But even if the North Korean team is strong, it shouldn't be like this, right? Changing the age is a violation, which does not treat other teams fairly. What's more, the U17 Asian Cup is an important event for developing young players, and it would be against the original intention of North Korea to let some adults mix in the youth team.
Questioning is questioning, and the available evidence is not enough to prove what the North Korean women's football team has done. The AFC has also made no response or address to this concern. At present, the North Korean women's football team is still participating in the competition in the name of the right, and their strong performance is naturally beyond reproach.
So, how should other teams deal with such a situation? The Chinese women's football team is obviously facing a lot of pressure. As a traditional powerhouse in Asia, the Chinese team certainly hopes to have a good result in the competition at home. However, North Korea is too strong, and if the Chinese women's football team wants to avoid them, they must beat Japan in the final round of the group stage to win the group.
If the Chinese women's football team wants to challenge for the championship in this Asian Cup, they must defeat Japan in the final round of the group stage to win the group and avoid playing North Korea in the semi-finals. This is by no means an easy task for the Chinese team, after all, Japan is also a traditional Asian powerhouse, and its strength should not be underestimated. There is also no shortage of strong players in the Chinese women's football team, as long as they play at their level and rely on the advantage of playing at home, they have every chance to defeat the Japanese team.
For example, Zhang Mengxue, the main striker of the Chinese team, has already entered the national team at the age of 17, starting every game and scoring the highest number of goals in the team. Zhang Mengxue is very fast, has good dribbling skills, and creates a lot of trouble for the opponent's backline. Her teammate Wang Sisi is also the leading scorer for the Chinese team, and the two formed a tacit combination on the offensive end.
In the midfield, the Chinese team has young talents such as Xu Mengting and Li Mengqi, who have good running opportunities and wide passing vision, which is a key link between defense and attack. In the backline, captain Liu Xinyi has experienced and outstanding command ability, coupled with the height advantage, which makes the Chinese team's defense quite stable.
In addition to the main lineup, the substitute strength of the Chinese women's football team should not be underestimated. For example, new stars such as Zhang Yutong and Chen Sijia, although they are not very old, have already emerged in their respective clubs. They are diligent and tenacious, and they are definitely an important help for the Chinese team.
The overall strength of the Chinese women's football team is worthy of recognition. As long as they play at a normal level, they are more than capable of beating Japan in the final round to finish top of their group and clear the way for the title race from then on.
In 1999, the Chinese women's football team reached the final again in the World Cup in the United States, but unfortunately failed again and could only return to China with the runner-up. Despite this, the spiritual outlook of that team is deeply infectious to the Chinese people, and it is known as "the most beautiful sonorous rose".