Chinese Women's Football Team Secures a "Nervous but Safe" Opening Victory, a Win That Hardly Inspires Optimism

Reported by Wang Wei On the afternoon of March 3rd Beijing time, the Chinese women's football team defeated Bangladesh 2-0 at Western Sydney Stadium, kicking off their new journey in the Women's Asian Cup with an opening victory. However, facing the lowest-ranked opponent in the tournament, the Chinese team managed only 2 goals from 24 shots throughout the match, hardly making it a convincing win.

For this match, head coach Milicic fielded the exact same starting lineup as in the warm-up against Central Coast Mariners Women. The goalkeeper was Chen Chen from Wuhan Women's FC, marking her official national team debut. The center-back pairing was Wu Haiyan and Wang Linlin, with Lü Yatong and Zhang Chengxue as the left and right full-backs respectively, the latter also making her debut. The double pivot in midfield consisted of Zhang Rui and Wang Aifang, with Wang Shuang and Liu Jing on the wings. The forward line was formed by Wurigumula and Jin Kun.

Before the match, expectations were high for the Chinese team, with the only question being how many goals they would score. Conservative estimates suggested at least five, but during the game, Bangladesh put up a resilient fight while China wasted numerous opportunities.

After kick-off, a lobbed shot from Bangladesh forward Shokh was tipped over the bar by Chen Chen, giving the Chinese team a scare. In terms of quality, China held the advantage, but Wang Shuang and Jin Kun missed several good chances. After gradually adapting to the opponent's pressing intensity, China took control of the match.

In the 23rd minute, Wang Shuang headed home from close range, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review. Just before halftime, China finally broke the deadlock. In the 44th minute, Wang Shuang scored a world-class goal, receiving a through pass from Zhang Chengxue in the center and lobbing the keeper with her right foot. Two minutes later, Zhang Rui added a second with a long-range strike.

In the second half, China continued to utilize their height advantage to pressure the opponent but failed to extend their lead, ultimately winning 2-0.

Bangladesh is ranked 112th in the world, a significant gap compared to China's ranking, but they earned respect with their performance on the pitch.

After the match, veteran Zhang Rui, who scored the second goal, said the team had high expectations but played with some impatience. "Perhaps we were too eager to perform well, a bit hasty. We will make positive adjustments and strive to perform better in the next match."

As Zhang Rui noted, although China controlled the tempo and launched strong attacks, they made many passing errors, and their offense appeared disorganized with limited ideas.

In the first half, China created five or six clear chances but only converted two. Their attacking efficiency dropped even lower in the second half. Milicic's substitutions, including Xie Zongmei, Tang Jiali, Zhang Xin, Shao Ziqian, and Chen Qiaozhu, failed to produce the desired impact.

Despite the personnel changes, China's passing in the second half was error-prone, their attacking patterns relatively monotonous, and they created few genuine opportunities, making another goal seem like a distant hope.

Post-match statistics showed China dominated with 24 shots to Bangladesh's 8, and 10 shots on target to 2, yet they only scored twice.

Zhang Rui stated that for the match against Uzbekistan, the team needs to adjust not only physically but also mentally. "It was the first match, and some players were making their national team debut, leading to some nervousness and impatience. For the next game, we hope to approach it with a normal mindset and display the level we show in training."

Milicic also addressed the issue of the players' excessive anxiety. "The match process was largely as expected, but it must be said we were a bit tense and failed to control the rhythm as we do in training. Considering it was the first match of a major tournament with a large crowd, this is understandable. Several starters lack experience in major international competitions and may need time to adapt. Nonetheless, we secured the win and kept a clean sheet. We will move forward and believe we can perform better."

Milicic emphasized that based on the team's pre-match preparation, training regimen, and current form, they should have performed better. The performance appeared rushed, perhaps due to excessive anxiety stemming from a strong desire to win. However, he noted this is somewhat normal. "The opening match of a major football tournament is always unpredictable, not just for us but for other teams as well. Over the past six months, we have fully demonstrated, especially in our preparatory work, that we can utilize data and management methods to achieve a certain level of recovery and improvement."

In the other Group A match, North Korea defeated Uzbekistan 3-0. At 4:00 PM Beijing time on March 6th, the Chinese women's team will face their second group opponent, Uzbekistan, whom they defeated 5-0 in Yongchuan last year.