In the 18th minute, Shen Mengyu broke the deadlock with a brilliant shot, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the fans.
She flicked on a long pass from a teammate and then pierced the opposing goal with a powerful shot, a sight that also had the Scotland native commentator in awe:
"Shen Mengyu's first touch was fantastic."
Behind the goal lies a little known story.
In an exclusive interview with a raging news reporter, Shen Mengyu revealed that she had originally planned to perform a celebratory gesture after scoring a goal - she had previously participated with her club in an exchange program with young juniors in which
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The junior players made suggestions for celebratory gestures.
"A little sister told me that she wanted me to do a dance-like move after scoring a goal. The moment I scored the goal, I had already thought of a celebratory move, only to be 'overpowered' by my teammates before I could show it."
Teammates pinned Shen Mengyu down and celebrated the goal together.
"It was actually quite a tough game to win. Both sides went back and forth and we were one player short (Celtic were sent off for a penalty in the 39th minute)." Shen Mengyu said.
"After the game we were all very excited and called each other 'superstar' for our teammates. The bus drove straight back to the park after the game where there was an end of season party for us and a small celebration." Shen Mengyu holds up the Scottish Cup winner's trophy.
Not setting limits for myself.
In addition to the Scottish Cup winners, Celtic
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It also won the League Cup during the season, making it a double.
Looking back on this season's road to stay in the ocean, Shen Mengyu, who played an important role in the two championships, said she was pleasantly surprised by the rewards of staying in the ocean.
"To be honest, (when I first started my stay) I didn't think too much about it, and now that I've got these two titles, it does feel like a bit of a surprise."
"Athletics, since you're involved in the sport, it's definitely about trying to win games and get championships. So I think we ended up with a championship and it was kinda a successful season for me."
This season, Shen Mengyu collected 5 goals and 10 assists as a midfielder, but she thinks she still has a lot of room for improvement in the future. Shen Mengyu poses for a photo with her teammates.
"There's still a lot that can be done better, if you look at the stats we've got midfielders in our team who have scored eight goals as well, and even strikers who have scored 40 goals in a season, there's still a big gap."
"I want to score more goals next season as well, and I've integrated relatively well in the first season. But it will be a different team next season because some of my teammates are out of contract and there will be new players joining the team, so it's a new start again next season and I hope I can deliver a satisfactory performance."
According to Celtic's plans, the team will regroup at the beginning of July, so Shen Mengyu now has the opportunity to take a short break and finally have some time to look around the UK, "Haven't been to Liverpool or Manchester yet, would like to go and see more."
As for longer-term planning, Shen Mengyu still plans to go with the flow:
"There's not really a ceiling for myself, like how many years I'm going to stay in the ocean, it still depends on the situation at the moment."
Shen Mengyu has been fully integrated into the overseas leagues.
Learning to fit in is also a form of growth
To be able to come up with a stunning performance in the first year of staying in the ocean, Shen Mengyu's outstanding performance on the field is also attributed to her rapid integration into the life of staying in the ocean in her usual practice.
The language barrier, the unfamiliarity of the living environment, the loneliness of being away from family and friends at home ...... These are the challenges that players staying in the ocean have to face, and Shen Mengyu is no exception.
"I actually think that when you arrive in an unfamiliar environment, there are definitely difficulties, but you can also gain a lot in the process of difficulties."
"If you don't visualize it as a very difficult thing, but rather enjoy the process of digesting that difficulty, then there's a sense of satisfaction that comes with getting through that."
Shen Mengyu told the raging news reporter. In terms of language barrier, Shen Mengyu participated in the English class to improve, and now the communication with teammates and coaches has been much smoother. In our spare time, we also make appointments to go on trips, get-togethers and so on.
Recalling such a process of getting through the adaptation period, Shen Mengyu did not forget to thank the help from all sides: "In fact, I was quite worried before staying in the ocean, like my friends and teammates will give me a lot of advice and ideas, gave me a lot of love."
"I was also lucky at the start at Celtic to have a couple of players who looked after me quite well, and they were right in what they said, which was really don't be shy, if you don't know something you have to ask, and if you still don't know something you just keep on asking because we're all very happy to help you with your answers and to listen to the difficulties you're having, so it's just about don't be shy and let go a bit."
Shen Mengyu tries kayaking.
In the future, wear China
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jerseys
Talking about the idea of the initial decision to go out to sea and stay in the ocean, Shen Mengyu said her goal is actually very simple.
"Thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot, to get out of the comfort zone I've been in, to see what soccer is like out there, and to learn more about the culture of soccer abroad."
"I was shown them (Celtics) at the time as well
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) of the game footage and felt that the physicality, the pace of the game is still okay here. Relatively speaking physical confrontation is not my strength and that's where I want to come here to improve."
Coming to Europe, she did experience a different kind of soccer: "It's relatively a little bit more wide open, or maybe it's because a couple of our team's frontcourt players are really fast, so sometimes our counterattacks are a little bit more direct."
But coaching the Celtics at the moment
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The head coach from Spain, playing style emphasizes ball control, which is the same as Shen Mengyu in the domestic player Shanghai
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There are also similarities.
"In the beginning maybe I was too focused on the fact that I was going to pass the alignment and was more hesitant and torn and didn't quite know what they wanted. Now then, the cooperation has a foundation, relatively more tacit understanding." Shen Mengyu said. Shen Mengyu celebrates China
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Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
Taking the crown.
Now after helping the Celtics take home two championship trophies, Shen Mengyu is ready to go after more with even more vigor.
"Because our club has won two cups, next season I hope to win three - plus the league." She told Raging News.
In addition, she has an even bigger wish, that is, one day, she will be able to wear the symbol of the national team's honor of China's
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Battle Robe.
China in February this year
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bravely take
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
Shen Mengyu watched the China
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of every competition, "My sisters are doing great and I'm excited to watch them play."
"When I'm going through a bad experience in a race, for some reason, they come to my mind and it's like I have to step up and keep going again, and that's how my sisters have influenced me."
"I hope that if I have the opportunity after that, based on my continuous hard work, I will be able to wear the national team's jersey one day in the future and compete on the international stage."
