Clash of passions! Wang Shanshan and Ireland's Agger in a fierce battle in the arena. Source: Xinhua News Agency
On February 22nd, China's women's soccer team welcomed the final match of their training tour in Spain, starting a tense warm-up match with Ireland's women's soccer team, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Afterwards, the team will embark on the return journey and take a short rest. During this trip to Spain, the Chinese women's soccer team has clearly defined the goal of "finding deficiencies", and will do their best to improve their strength before the World Cup.
Experienced Wu Haiyan makes an appearance at the competition. Photo source: Xinhua News Agency
In preparation for this year's World Cup, Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers, the Chinese women's soccer team arrived in Spain on February 10th for a two-week warm-up. During this period, they played four matches with two wins and two draws, including a 2-1 win against Real Betis, but a 1-4 loss against Sweden, and the remaining two matches ended in draws.
Head coach Shui Qingxia kept tweaking her lineup over the course of the four matches, and the starting lineup went through seven changes in the final match against the Irish women's soccer team. China dominated the attacking end, with shots from Wang Shanshan, Yao Lingwei and Lou Jiahui all posing a threat. However, Xiao Yuyi's goal was ruled offside, while the Irish women's goal was blown due to a goalkeeper's error, and the two sides eventually shook hands.
Although the Chinese team has won two out of four matches in the Liga Mujer, the opponents are not strong. Real Betis is ranked second to last in the Liga MX Women's Football League, while Velva Women's Football is also in the middle to lower level. Against Sweden and Ireland, the Chinese team showed good execution and defensive discipline, but were slightly weak on the offensive end.
In the face of the next challenge, the Chinese team needs to work hard to make up for shortcomings and play to its own strengths. As captain Wang Shanshan said, Europe and the United States women's football speed is rapid and powerful, but the Chinese team also has a rapid turn, high agility, to play to advantage, to avoid the opponent's front.
In April, the Chinese women's soccer team will welcome international players for a new round of training. They will then travel to Spain to warm up with the Swiss and Spanish women's soccer teams. While preparing for the Women's Super League, the players will also have to fully prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
The Chinese women's soccer team will return home after the warm-up matches in Spain and regroup in mid-to-late March to prepare for the upcoming season. The Women's Super League will go on a break after the third round on March 12 and restart on April 15, when international players will face an intense schedule.
