At 22:00 Beijing time on February 3, the Chinese women's football team will start a fierce battle with the Japanese women's football team in the semifinals of the 2022 Women's Asian Cup in India. Looking back at the pre-match press conference on February 2, head coach Shui Qingxia powerfully depicted the team's state of preparation: "In the face of a strong enemy, we must have the ambition to be flexible in both good and bad times, show the fighting spirit of women's football, abandon distractions and enjoy the joy of soccer."
Talking about the opponent, Shui Qingxia was blunt: "The Japanese team is precise in passing, cooperative and has a changeable rhythm on the field. We will strategically play to our advantage, both containing and countering the opponent, and playing in our style."
Shui Qingxia revealed that she is more concerned about the growth of her players than the results of the game, "Winning or losing is just the process, what I value more is whether we can show ourselves in the game and how to persevere in the face of adversity."
Captain Wang Shanshan also expressed her expectations for the game at the press conference: "Facing a strong team, we will certainly be under pressure, but more to show themselves, on the stage of the Asian Cup, to show the elegance of China's women's football team, we will certainly go all out."
In the group stage, the Chinese women's soccer team advanced to the top of Group A and beat the Vietnamese women's soccer team 3-1 in the quarterfinal. A reporter asked whether it would bring psychological pressure as, looking back at the history, the Chinese women's soccer team had only beaten the Japanese women's soccer team in 2008. Shui Qingxia replied: "On the soccer field, everything is possible. I am relieved about the past wins and losses, and every season is a new beginning. Despite the tight training schedule, we are gradually developing our own style. The championship is our goal, but I will accept whatever the result. We should pay more attention to details because success never comes easily."
The match between the Chinese and Japanese women's soccer teams will be played at 2200 hours on February 3 at the Shiva Chattapati Stadium in Pune, India.
