With the steady improvement of the level of women's football in the world, the results of the Tokyo Olympics grouping announced on the 21st, there is no obvious meaning of "on the sign" or "group of death". The top of each group is full of suspense, the road to promotion is not a straight road. China's women's soccer team in the fierce competition in Asian soccer, successful return to the Olympic stage, the next will face a more severe test.
Our team is in the third slot, in Group F with European champions Holland, traditional powerhouse Brazil and newcomers Zambia. Comparing Group E horizontally, including hosts Japan, Canada and the British team under the power of the English Premier League, as well as the Olympic gold medalist USA, runner-up Sweden and Asia's top-ranked Australia in Group G, they are all strong opponents. As a result, there are no clear advantages or disadvantages to the groupings for the 12 participating teams.
Facing three opponents, the Netherlands, Brazil and Zambia, China's women's soccer team will face Brazil for the first time in two consecutive Olympic Games. In the Rio Olympics, our team faced the host and lost 0:3. From the historical record, our team is at a disadvantage. Coupled with the problem of "slow heat" that often occurs in the first game of a major competition, this may be the toughest battle in the group stage.
Although the outcome of the first match is unknown, our team has full confidence in Zambia, who are making their Olympic debut, and are determined to take the three crucial points and be in top form for the Netherlands, who are the highest ranked team in the world in the group.
The Dutch women's soccer team has made amazing progress in the past cycle.At the 2015 World Cup in Canada, our team had been led by players such as Wu Haiyan and Tang Jiali, who suppressed their opponents with 60% of possession and 27:8 shots on goal to beat the Netherlands. But by the 2019 World Cup, the Netherlands kept refreshing the team's record and eventually finished as the runner-up.
On June 11, 2015, China's team captain Wu Haiyan (R) defends against Netherlands player Miedema (C). China defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the Group A group match of the 7th FIFA Women's World Cup at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada, on the same day. Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Xu took photo
This time again, China's team ranking and recent record is not as good as the Netherlands, but as the Olympic newcomers, China's team in the mentality of the advantage.
According to the rules, the top two of each group and the two best third-place finishers advance to the final 8. Although our team is slightly weaker than Holland and Brazil, after the test of the Olympic Preliminary Round play-offs, the team's cohesion, tactical execution and psychological resistance to pressure have been improved, and getting out of the group is a goal they have the confidence and ability to achieve.
In the 1996 Olympic Games, our women's soccer team won the best silver medal in the team's history. Since then, our team has suffered a low point, and reaching the top 8 in recent Olympics has been the best performance.
Against the backdrop of the rapid development of women's soccer in the world, our team overcame many difficulties in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and managed to secure a place in the tournament, providing valuable opportunities for young players to exercise in major competitions, which in itself is a big step forward.
On April 13, players of our team celebrated the victory after the match. On the same day, in the second round of the Tokyo Olympics women's soccer Asian qualifying round playoffs held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China's team drew 2-2 with South Korea through overtime, thus winning 4-3 on aggregate and advancing to the Tokyo Olympics. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo
In this Olympics, under the influence of the epidemic, all participating teams have been affected to varying degrees, signaling that clinical play and mentality may be more important than ever. Therefore, in the stage of the girls to fight, the outside world also need to give them more support to help them put down the pressure of performance, focus on the game, show a new generation of "rose" style.
