On July 29th in Beijing, the curtain fell on the women's soccer team for 24 hours. However, despite the tidal wave of accolades pouring in for the women's soccer players and the celebratory moments of Wang Shuang and Zhang Linyan, there has been little mention of a silent hero.
The hero is none other than Yao Wei, the backbone of the women's soccer defense. She deserves our applause for blocking the opponent's shot with her cheek. Especially during the post-match interview, Yao Wei's eyes were already red and swollen.
Zhang Linyan was undoubtedly the hero of the tournament, winning praise from opponents and coaches for her performance, while Wang Shuang took home the Most Valuable Player award outright. However, whenever the characters in the spotlight are praised, there are always those quietly dedicated and less conspicuous players who are forgotten.
The moment Yao Wei used his face to clear the ball is an example. In the 62nd minute, the score was deadlocked at 0:0, and even goalkeeper Zhu Yu was in despair in the face of the inevitable goal, and the attacking players were unable to support her in time. When Yao Wei was the only one left in the backfield, she stepped up and deflected a barb shot from the No.6 of the opposing team.
At that time, Yao Wei realized that it was too late for her body to dodge, and she resolutely met the incoming ball with her cheek. We saw that Yao Wei's right eye was completely red and swollen, and her forehead and nose were also red from the kick; she suffered not only an eye, but also a face hit.
In the past, men's soccer players have been known to dodge the ball to escape, and Fu Huan and Zhang Linpeng are no exception. But now, women soccer players bravely use their faces to fend off shots on the field, which reminds us of women's basketball and women's volleyball teams, who always touch our heartstrings.
Twenty-four hours have passed and very few people have cheered for Yao Wei. It was an instinctive reaction to dodge the incoming ball, but Yao Wei deserved the women's soccer jersey she was wearing. She even received a yellow card for the action. One can only imagine how badly her face was hit. Theoretically, women should take care of their faces, but Yao Wei's subconscious reaction was to use her face to block the shot in the face of the enemy. Can the national soccer team do such a subconscious action?
Looking back at Fu Huan, Zhang Linpeng, and Wang Shenchao of the men's soccer team at the time, especially Fu Huan's ball-dodging behavior, compared to Yao Wei's perseverance, one can't help but reflect. Yao Wei's prolonged efforts did not receive enough attention, which should not be the case. We must once again focus on the actions of the Chinese women's soccer team, who should perhaps be ashamed of themselves in comparison to the evasive behavior of men's soccer in the past.
