Current location:entertainment >>
China's women's football team reach Tokyo Olympics with extra
entertainment4People have gathered around
IntroductionChinese players celebrate after winning the second leg of the Tokyo Olympic Asian qualification play ...
Chinese players celebrate after winning the second leg of the Tokyo Olympic Asian qualification playoffs against South Korea in Suzhou, China, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Xu)
China's women's football team booked the last Asian ticket to the Tokyo Olympics thanks to a goal and an assist from star player Wang Shuang to beat South Korean 4-3 on aggregate.
SUZHOU, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's women's football team has booked its spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after drawing 2-2 with South Korea after extra time in the second leg of Asian Qualification playoffs here on Tuesday.
Chinese star player Wang Shuang contributed one goal and one assist as the Steel Roses came from 2-0 behind to beat South Korea 4-3 on aggregate in the Olympic Qualification playoffs.
Jia Xiuquan (R), head coach of China, wills his players on during their 2-2 draw against South Korea in the second leg of the Tokyo Olympics Qualification playoffs in Suzhou, China, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
"The match was even harder than I expected. I would like to thank all my players for not giving up when we were 0-2 behind. As long as they can carry on the spirit, I believe that our team will become better and better," Chinese head coach Jia said at the post-match press conference.
Going into the match 2-1 down from the first leg, the South Koreans executed a high press from the front and took the reins in the first half. They broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when Kang Chae-rim scored after a precise cross from Cho So-hyun.
In the last minute of the first half, Chinese goalkeeper Peng Shimeng saved a close-range header from a corner, but couldn't keep the ball out of the net from a rebound shot. The goal was initially credited to South Korean forward Choe Yu-ri, but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) later ruled it as Chinese defender Li Mengwen's own goal.
China's Yang Man (Front R) in action during their 2-2 draw against South Korea in the second leg of the Tokyo Olympics Qualification playoffs in Suzhou, China, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Coach Jia changed his tactics in the second half as Yang Man came off the bench and became the turning point of the match. The 1.86-meter center forward controlled the majority of long balls and headed home a free-kick from Wang in the 68th minute.
"The only thing we could do then was to fight bravely. I made some changes at the break. My players were united and executed the plan well," Jia noted. "My players were under great pressure, I am very proud of what they did on the pitch -- held up to the last minute of the two-hour-long match."
In the 103rd minute, Wang fired a long-distance left-footed shot into the bottom right corner, gifting China a lead on aggregate, which denied South Korean's dream to qualify for the Olympics for the first time.
China's Wang Shuang (R) shoots during their 2-2 draw against South Korea in the second leg of the Tokyo Olympics Qualification playoffs in Suzhou, China, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
South Korean head coach Colin Bell spoke highly of Wang's performance, saying that his team couldn't afford to let such a "world-class player" take over the match. "If we are gifting that kind of player that opportunity, she's not going to say no. That's very, very disappointing and bitter for us after performing so well for 120 minutes."
Despite the disappointing result, Bell was pleased with the progress his players made during the process. "I think we saw glimpses of that this evening. I am very positive about the future, if we can continue and work the way we've been working," he said.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“World Whispers news portal”。http://zambia.ekjotinstitute.com/html-02a699934.html
Related articles
Bella Hadid goes braless in a thigh
entertainmentShe is one of America's most recognisable fashion models.And Bella Hadid continued to show why she i ...
Read moreHong Kong lawmaker's petition opposing Gay Games is prejudiced, activist says
entertainmentA Hong Kong LGBT+ activist has said that a lawmaker’s petition opposing the city’s co-ho ...
Read moreHong Kong waste levy to come into effect next April
entertainmentThe Hong Kong government will begin charging residents for rubbish disposal in April next year, mont ...
Read more
Popular articles
- Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
- VOX POPULI: LDP lawmakers’ remarks about political funds create a paradox
- Chinese comedy group punishment sends chills through arts sphere
- VOX POPULI: LDP’s Nikai’s ‘expenditures’ on books must make libraries weep
- The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
- HKFP Lens: Hong Kong photographers document their last moments in the city
Latest articles
With Djokovic awaiting the winner, Murray trails Hanfmann at rain
In pictures: Auckland's Ramadan Night Markets in New Lynn
VOX POPULI: Seven years on, the Moritomo Gakuen scandal still unexplained
VOX POPULI: Nikkei index soars but real economy still feels sluggish
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
VOX POPULI: Leadership skills of the past are missing in the politics of today
LINKS
- Scottish government survives vote of no confidence
- Chinese embassy urges US, UK and Australia to stop forming exclusionary blocs
- Tadej Pogačar is starting his first Giro d'Italia as the overwhelming favorite
- Foreigners make nearly 3M inbound, outbound trips to China in Jan
- Oklahoma teen Noah Presgrove's cause of death is revealed
- UN mission leaves DRC's South Kivu province as part of withdrawal plan
- Economists see need for more stimulus
- Iraqi PM vows to diversify national economy
- China promoting rapid development of commercial space industry: CNSA
- Jordan condemns Israeli settlers' assault on Jordanian aid convoy to Gaza