Even with Wang Frost's four solo goals, the victory was still out of reach.
Our fans often tease the national football team in a humorous way, calling its course of events "the first battle, the battle of life and death, the battle of glory". Unexpectedly, China's women's soccer team has also entered a similar fate.
In the second round of the group stage on July 24, our women's soccer team drew 4-4 with Zambia, accumulating only one point in two matches. Facing the last match against the strong rival Netherlands, the group exit seems to be only a theoretical possibility ......
Observed in the first two matches, our women's soccer team's performance in the defensive end can be described as abysmal, whether facing the strong Brazil or Zambia with outstanding single-point ability, they all seem to be at a loss.
From the selection of the list of controversial, to the difficulties on the Olympic field, the outside world can not help but question - China's women's soccer really need to train new people, but with the Olympic Games, "pay tuition" is really appropriate?
Jia Xiuquan, the head coach of our women's soccer team.
From chasing goal difference to barely holding on to a draw
In Group F, where our women's soccer team is located, the Zambian women's soccer team is the weakest among the three opponents. This first time to participate in the Olympic Games "novice", 104 global ranking is also the current Olympic Games women's soccer team in the lowest.
Therefore, in the pre-match predictions, the game against Zambia was considered a must-win three points for our women's soccer team -
Not only that, the team needs to get as much goal difference as possible in order to be in a favorable position in the race for a place in the group.
However, the reality has given a heavy blow to all Chinese fans.
Despite our women's soccer team leading 3-1 at one point in the first half, a weak defense cost the team and the Zambian women's soccer team rallied to make it 4-3 in the 67th minute ......
If it wasn't for Wang Frost's last-minute penalty kick that saved the team, our women's soccer team would not only have been unable to get all three points, but would have almost failed to even get a draw. But even this draw brought disastrous consequences.
According to the system of the Olympic Games, the top two teams and the two teams with the best results in the three groups will get the places in the eight finalists. Now that the second round of the group stage is over, China's women's soccer team, Japan's women's soccer team and Australia's women's soccer team are the third in their respective groups, with Australia's women's soccer team accumulating three points from one win, and China's women's soccer team and Japan's women's soccer team both accumulating one point from one draw and one loss.
However, in the final round of the group stage, Japan's women's soccer team is up against the weaker Chilean women's soccer team, while our women's soccer team is up against the 2019 World Cup runners-up, the Netherlands women's soccer team.
In other words, although our women's soccer team has not been officially declared "dead", it is already in the embarrassing situation of only a theoretical possibility to get out of the line.
Wang Frost's expression revealed despondency.
Defensive problems, no excuses
The weakness of our women's soccer defense, in fact, as early as in the first game against the Brazilian women's soccer team has been revealed, only due to the strength of the opponent, the loss of our women's soccer team is not so surprising.
However, facing the overall strength of the Zambian women's football team is not high, but also can concede 4 goals in a single game, our women's football team's defense problems have no excuse.
Not only that, but after conceding four goals, our women's soccer team paid an even bigger price:
In the 85th minute, in order to stop the counterattack of the Zambian women's soccer team, Li Qingtong pulled down the opponent's striker and was sentenced to a direct red card, otherwise our women's soccer team's goal will face another fatal threat ......
And it was Zambian women's soccer's star scorer Banda who was pulled down by Li Qingtong. Li Ching-Tong was shown a red card.
The powerful striker joined our Women's Super League last year, playing for Shanghai Women's Football Team, and won the league's top scorer last season, and was considered to be a key target for our women's football team to focus on before the tournament.
As a result, she scored a hat-trick in the match, and together with Wang Frost, who completed the big four, the two of them bagged seven of the eight goals in the match.
Previously, Shanghai women's soccer head coach Shui Qingxia analyzed Banda's characteristics in an interview with a surging news reporter:
"She's physical, she's fast and physical, and she's not bad on her feet. Because of her speed, she looks like a rushing type, but she's not, she's more well-rounded."
As for how to defend this kind of player, whether it is a special person staring at the defense or the overall coordination of the defense, Shui Qingxia believes that it still depends on the tactical arrangements of the coaching team. But from the actual battle, our women's soccer team's defense arrangement did not play a role in the effect ......
After the game, China's women's soccer defender Wang Xiaoxue said in an interview, "In fact, there is a deployment of her staring coach, but obviously from the results we are not even good."
The team's defensive performance in the two group games down the stretch had to be a disappointment to our fans in the final group game as well.
Earlier, the Dutch women's soccer team beat the Zambian women's soccer team 10-3 wildly, some fans said on the Internet, "Playing the Netherlands, can our women's soccer team's goal conceded under double digits?"
Banda (center) is the country's top scorer in the Women's Super League.
A lineup of newcomers that ends up "paying for school"?
The poor defensive performance of our women's soccer team is critically linked to the absence of backline general Wu Haiyan.
In the pre-Olympic preparation period, Wu Haiyan suffered a knee injury, this time, despite the team came to Tokyo, but under the injury still can only be on the sidelines to watch the game.
And the absence of some strength players, but also from a certain extent weakened the team's rear defense - for example, previously in the Olympic tournament play-offs as a side defender good Lou Jiahui, did not appear in this time China's women's soccer team in the Olympic list.
Lou Jiahui is not the only player who has been the subject of controversy due to falling off the Olympic roster.
Previously, Tang Jiali, Ma Jun and many other famous players are not in the Olympic list, it has sparked a hot discussion among the fans. Subsequently, China's women's soccer team only revealed to the public that Tang Jiali was absent due to injury.
In the absence of many familiar names, Jia Xiuquan has drafted in a number of newcomers - five of the 22-man squad have zero World A appearances, and another five have between one and three appearances (as of the Tokyo Olympics). Banda had questioned Jia Xiuquan's squad selection for our women's soccer team on Twitter.
Before the trip, Jia Xiuquan said in an interview, "To train more people for our country's women's soccer team, this is what I should do in this position. Otherwise, what about (the future)? This group of players may not necessarily be as famous as others, but for this Olympic mission I think these people may be suitable."
But from a practical point of view, it's very inappropriate to go to a major tournament with a relatively inexperienced team.
In just two group games, Jia Xiuquan has given playing time to both Liu Jing and Uri Gumura, two players with no previous World A experience - the latter, in particular, has come on as an early substitute in the 30s in both games.
But the second race, Uri Gumura replaced the field's offensive high point Yang Man, after the past to see become the team from the lead to the turning point of the fall ......
With one last group game left, our fans can only hope for a miracle - but reality is often cold, and our women's soccer team needs to do more thinking after this Olympics.
Women's soccer needs a blueprint for the future and a plan for staying in the game, not 'paying tuition' over and over again.
