Last night's match was truly terrifying, as the Chinese U17 women's football team went head-to-head with North Korea in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, only to lose 0-1 and fail to qualify for the final.
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This game is of great significance to our Chinese women's football team, because the winner can get the ticket to the World Cup in advance, which is an opportunity that every football player dreams of.
In the group stage, the performance of the North Korean team can be described as overwhelming, winning all three games, ranking first in points, and the momentum of winning the championship is very strong.
And our Chinese team, although we won Australia and Thailand in the first two rounds and locked the semi-finals in advance, but in the later game with the defending champion Japan, we suffered a big loss and were beaten 4-0 by others, which is so aggrieved in my heart. In the semi-finals, we met North Korea, and to be honest, our chances of winning were really not good.
Before the game, everyone was speculating whether the Chinese team would adjust the lineup, but the result was that Xiao Jiaqi, Zhou Xinyi, and Song Yu were all sitting on the bench. This made many fans feel that our head coach had foreseen the outcome of the game and prepared for the third and fourth finals in advance.
As soon as the game began, the Chinese team was in trouble. In the 11th minute, the North Korean team cooperated with a short pass in the penalty area, Cui Yishan shot a low flat ball, our goalkeeper Hou Shulin made a mistake, the ball slowly rolled into the net, and the Chinese team fell behind 0-1. This mistake, to be honest, was a bit surprising and a bit demoralizing.
After falling behind, the Chinese team tried to counterattack, but there were too many mistakes in passing and receiving, and the overall strength was not as good as the opponent, and most of the time it was passively defending. In the 30th minute, the North Korean team took a corner kick, and Hou Shulin got rid of it when he attacked and picked up the ball, almost giving the opponent another goal. In the 38th minute, the North Korean team once again picked up a pass in the penalty area, Hou Shulin hesitated to attack, and was almost shot by the opponent. In the 45th minute, the North Korean team counterattacked, Choi Il-sun hit the goal from close range and missed a great opportunity.
At the end of the half, statistics showed that the Chinese team was completely behind in terms of shots, shots on target, number of dangerous attacks, corner kick opportunities, pass success rate and other aspects. If it weren't for the North Korean team's average ability to grasp opportunities in front of goal, the score might have been more than 0-1.
In the second half, the North Korean team continued to control the game, and it was difficult for the Chinese team to organize an effective attack. In the 50th minute, the North Korean team counterattacked and the shot was blocked by the Chinese team. In the 82nd minute, the Chinese team made a mistake in the backfield, Hou Shulin attacked in time to block the angle, and the North Korean team missed the opportunity to score again. In the end, neither side scored again, and the Chinese team lost by one goal.
Despite the loss, North Korea advanced to the final and will face Japan for the title and also qualify for the 2024 U17 Women's World Cup. For the Chinese team, although they missed the finals, they still have a chance to defeat the South Korean team through the third or fourth finals and win the qualification for the World Junior Championships.
Looking back on history, the Chinese women's football team has not had many records in the World Junior Championships, with three promotions in 2012, 2014 and 2022, but failed to break through the group stage. If we can qualify this time, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost for the team.
To be honest, although I lost this game, I will keep this hard work for the girls and I will definitely be able to achieve better results in the future.
Of course, this game also exposed some problems, such as passing and receiving errors, and the inconsistent performance of the goalkeeper, which need to be summarized and improved in a good way.
Football is a team sport where every aspect counts. Only by making continuous progress can we gain a foothold in the arena where there are strong players.
For the girls, this is not only a valuable experience, but also a growth grinding. I believe that as long as they don't give up and continue to work hard, the road ahead will be wider and wider. As fans, we should also give them more support and encouragement, and accompany them through every peak and trough. Come on, Chinese women's football team!