Wang Shanshan (right) and Ireland's Agger fight during the match. Photo/Xinhua
On the evening of February 22, Beijing time, the Chinese Women's National Football Team and the Irish Women's Football Team played the last warm-up match of their training in Spain, and the two sides shook hands 0-0. The team will return to China for a short break. The trip to Spain has enabled the Chinese women's soccer team to achieve the goal of "finding gaps", and the team will work to make up for their shortcomings before the Women's World Cup.
summarize
Warm-ups 2 out of 4, not enough wins to be happy with
In preparation for this year's Women's World Cup, the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics qualifying tournament, the Chinese women's soccer team traveled to Spain on Feb. 10 to warm up. During that time, the team played four matches, winning 2-1 against Real Betis, losing 1-4 to the Swedish women's soccer team, winning 4-0 against the Velva women's soccer team, and winning 0-0 against the Irish women's soccer team.
China's women's soccer head coach Shui Qingxia rotated her lineup over the course of four matches. The team made seven changes to their starting lineup compared to the last warm-up game against the Irish women's soccer team. The Chinese women's soccer team had more chances on the offensive end, with shots from Wang Shanshan, Yao Lingwei and Lou Jiahui posing a threat. In the 60th minute, Xiao Yuyi's goal was disallowed for offside. Two minutes later, the Irish women's goal was blown due to a goalkeeper collision, leaving the 0-0 score unchanged.
Veteran Wu Haiyan (left) appears in a match. Photo/Xinhua
In the four warm-up matches, the Chinese women's soccer team's two winning matches were both in the Liga Mujer, but the victories were not satisfactory. Real Betis was beaten in the first match and is second from bottom in the Liga Mujer. This team not only announced a coaching change a few hours before the warm-up match, but also sent several B-team players to participate in the second half of the match; Velva Women's Soccer is also in the middle and lower levels of the Liga MX, ranked 11th in the league, with the absence of three main foreign players.
The two matches with Sweden Women's Soccer Team and Ireland Women's Soccer Team gave China Women's Soccer Team a workout. Sweden's 1-4 loss to the world's third-ranked team showed the gap between the Chinese women's soccer team and the strongest teams in Europe. In the match with the Irish women's soccer team, the Chinese women's soccer team's execution and defensive discipline deserved to be recognized, especially Chen Qiao-Zhu and Yang Li-Na's performance, but the team didn't have many offensive means, and lacked creativity in the attacking end slightly.
In the next time, whether the Chinese women's football team can try to make up for the shortcomings, give full play to their own advantages, and become the key to play well in the three games. As captain Wang Shanshan said, the European and American women's soccer team is absolutely fast and strong in fighting, but the Chinese women's soccer team also has the advantage of turning fast and high agility, so we should insist on raising our strengths and avoiding our weaknesses.
Lou Jiahui (first right) wrestles with Irish player Mannion. Photo/Xinhua
course (of history)
In April, international players traveled to Spain, "back-to-back" this spring.
Before the Chinese women's soccer team welcomed Spain for their final warm-up match, the Haitian women's soccer team defeated the Chilean women's soccer team 2-1 in the Group B final of the 2023 Women's World Cup Playoffs to reach the Women's World Cup finals for the first time and become China's last opponent in the group stage of the Women's World Cup.
The Women's World Cup is the first competition test that the Chinese women's soccer team will face this year. In an interview with the media, head coach Shui Qingxia believes that the three group stage opponents of Denmark, England and Haiti each have their own characteristics, and each game will be very tough. The result of the first match with Denmark women's soccer team will have a direct impact on the prospects of advancement. "Whoever wins will have a better chance of advancing." Therefore, the result of the warm-up match in Spain is not important. The key is that the team can gradually familiarize and adapt to the basic playing style and technical and tactical style of European teams, so as to adjust the mentality of facing strong teams. After all, since the Tokyo Olympics (before the Spain warm-up), the "Roses" have not competed with European teams.
After the match against the Irish women's soccer team, the Chinese women's soccer team will return to China, where the team will refocus in mid to late March and travel to Spain in April to warm up against the Swiss women's soccer team and the Spanish women's soccer team, respectively. The Spanish women's soccer team is currently ranked seventh in the world and the team will continue its quality preparation against strong European teams.
The Chinese women's soccer team will be disbanded on the spot in Shanghai after returning home, and the players will return to their clubs to prepare for the new Women's Super League season, which starts on March 4th. According to the schedule, the Women's Super League will enter a break after the third round on March 12 and restart on April 15, which will make the international players' schedule particularly tight.
