Yesterday morning, Beijing time, the Chinese women's football team played the second warm-up match in four days with the United States women's football team at Frisco Toyota Stadium in Texas, USA. As a result, the Chinese women's football team scored one goal in the first half, and the opponent scored two goals in a row by using set-pieces in the second half, thus losing 4-2. Although the Chinese women's football team suffered two consecutive defeats against the United States women's football team, it was able to warm up with the world's strongest teams at the beginning of personnel replacement, and the Chinese women's football team's trip to the United States achieved a relatively ideal training effect. It is reported that after this warm-up match, the Chinese women's football team will not refocus until May next year, during which the Chinese Football Association can use the next six months to select a coach for the Chinese women's football team.
In the first warm-up match of the Chinese and American women's football teams in Miami on the afternoon of December 12, local time, the Chinese women's football team lost 2-0. However, before arriving in the United States, the whole team experienced a 3-hour long-distance flight, and the time difference between Beijing and Miami reached 28 hours.
Affected by physical reasons, veteran Wang Shanshan and defender Dou Jiaxing did not sign up for the second warm-up match between the two sides. Compared with the first meeting between the two teams, the Chinese women's football team has 3 adjustments to the starting lineup of this game, Jin Kun, Shen Menglu, and Huo Yuexin started in place of Dou Jiaxing, Liu Yanqiu, and Wuri Gumula respectively. Wang Siqian, the main player of the U20 national youth women's football team, who performed well in the last game, started two consecutive games.
As in the first game, the U.S. women's soccer team took advantage of the players' physical confrontation and frequently put pressure on the Chinese women's football team's defense. However, the Chinese women's football team did not blindly play the ball because of this. It is worth noting that most of goalkeeper Xu Huan's shots are completed in the form of short passes. Even if the opponent formed a situation of encirclement, the Chinese women's football team also insisted on playing with the ball at their feet. After withstanding the opponent's multiple rounds of attacks, the Chinese women's football team took the lead in breaking the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, Yan Jinjin took a free kick on the left side of the front field, Wang Siqian jumped high in the opponent's penalty area, and assisted Shen Mengyu to easily score in front of the goal with a header.
The U.S. women's soccer team, which was behind by the score, launched a tidal wave of attacks in the second half. However, the Chinese women's football team did not lose patience in playing technical football, and formed an offensive threat through counterattacks many times. But regrettably, due to lack of experience in the game, the Chinese women's football team was scored twice by the American women's football team in the 63rd and 80th minutes. Both of the U.S. goals came from set-pieces. Shortly before the end of the game, Wang Jun, head of the Chinese women's football coaching staff, loudly reminded his disciples on the sidelines: "Don't retreat!" "It's also a reflection of the positive attitude of the whole team towards the game.
Although the Chinese women's football team suffered two consecutive defeats in this trip to the United States, this young team has been commendable in terms of technical performance and will quality during the two games. Playing against the world's top teams not only enriches the team's game experience, but also broadens the horizons of the majority of players, especially young players. In this way, even if you lose the warm-up game, it is very valuable.
The Chinese women's football team set off yesterday afternoon local time and returned to China via Doha, Qatar, and it is expected that the whole team will fly to Beijing on the afternoon of the 8th, and then disband on the spot. Since the Chinese women's football team has no major tournament to play in the next two years after the dream of the Paris Olympics, the team will not reconcentrate until May next year. The overseas club players in the squad will return directly to their respective clubs, and the U2 national youth women's football age players will continue to prepare for the final stage of the U5 Asian Cup under the leadership of Wang Jun. The Chinese Football Association can use the next six months to select coaches for the Chinese women's football team, and from the current situation, the Chinese Football Association will take foreign coaches as the first choice for the new coach of the Chinese women's football team.
Text/Reporter Xiao Yun
(Beijing Youth Daily)