China (Graphic by Michael Alesich)
China (Graphic by Michael Alesich)
 
Head Coach: Jia Xiuquan Group: F
Confederation: AFC Ranking: 14
Highest 5 (2003)
Lowest 18 (2011,2013)
Federation: Chinese Football Association
Social Media: Unofficial but worth a follow
 

 

Every nation will have a story, an impact from COVID-19, but for China, their preparation for the qualifiers was perhaps more seriously impacted than most.

No player exemplifies this impact more than striker Wang Shuang. Born in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, Wang endured a 77-day lockdown in her hometown last year, forced to train alone and watch on from afar as the rest of her teammates travelled to Australia to continue the Olympic qualifiers.

Now they’ve made it. Tokyo 2021 will be the sixth Olympic appearance for China’s Steel Roses, with their highest placing as runners-up coming in the inaugural 1996 event when they were led by FIFA Women’s Player of the Century, Sun Wen.


The 2012 London Olympics represents the only instance in which the Steel Roses failed to qualify. They finished fourth at the 2011 AFC qualification tournament hosted in China, with North Korea and eventual runners up Japan progressing.

Squad

Goalkeepers

  • Ding Xuan
  • Peng Shimeng
  • Zhu Yu

Defenders

  • Chen Qiaozhu
  • Li Mengwen
  • Lin Yuping
  • Luo Guiping
  • Wang Xiaoxue
  • Wu Haiyan

Midfielders

  • Li Qingtong
  • Liu Jing
  • Miao Siwen
  • Wang Shuang
  • Wang Yan
  • Wang Yanwen
  • Wang Ying
  • Yang Lina
  • Zhang Xin

Forwards

  • Wang Shanshan
  • Wurigumula
  • Xiao Yuyi
  • Yang Man

Coach

Jia Xiuquan played 55 international matches for China, scoring 9 goals from 1983 to 1992 and was the captain from 1987-1992.

His determination as a player is applied in the same way as a coach, with Jia tenacious in ensuring the Steel Roses are fully prepared.

“I want to win all the games, but a victory is earned by hard work, not imagination.

“The three teams have different styles, so we should fully prepare,” Jia told Xinhua.

Last Olympics

China were drawn in Group E alongside Sweden, South Africa and hosts Brazil who defeated them 3-0 in the opening match. 

The Steel Roses rebounded to defeat South Africa 2-0 before rounding out the final group stage match with a 0-0 draw against Sweden.

China were knocked out in the Quarter Finals by eventual gold medal winners Germany.

Read More: Brazil Olympic Preview

Qualifying Path

China had a dangerous path to secure their Olympic spot, a two-game winner takes all playoff against 19th ranked South Korea.

China took first match honours, with a 2-1 victory, only to see their chances almost slide away, down 2-0 at the half time break in the second and final game.

Yang Man tied the aggregate score in the 69th minute, her header finding the top left corner off a Wang Shuang set-piece cross.

The match would go into extra time to break the deadlock, with Wang Shuang the hero, putting China ahead on aggregate in the 104th minute, before a nervous finish through the second period of extra time.

Wang Shuang told state broadcaster CCTV of the win, “We never thought about giving up, even though we were trailing 2-0 in the first half.” 

The Strengths

Wang Shuang gave some insight when she announced, “We have been training for more than 100 days for the qualifiers. Every day we ran 10 kilometres.”

Fitness alongside a disciplined defence will be two keys to their game. Coupled with attacking prowess from Wang Shuang and Wang Shanshan, China will be a difficult opponent to defeat. 

The Challenge

At times China’s defence can be exposed and against the double threats of Brazil’s flair and Netherlands precision, this could be their Achilles heel. If they can prevent teams breaking through their lines, they could be in with a strong chance to progress deep into the tournament. 

Read More: Netherlands Olympic Preview

One to watch – Wang Shuang

Look no further than Wang Shuang, who debuted for the Chinese National team in 2013. Shuang was nominated in the same year for the AFC Young Player of the Year Award and has been on the rise ever since.

Her accolades include winning Chinese Women’s Footballer of the Year three years in succession (2017, 2018, 2019) and also AFC Women’s Player of the Year in 2018.

Shuang also played for PSG in the 2018-19 season, before returning early to join Chinese Super League team Wuhan Jiangda.

But it wasn’t easy for Wang, as her words in her emotional article on The Players Tribune will attest. This piece is well worth a read to get to know the person inside the player (or vice-versa) and the challenges of her remarkable journey.

Prediction

China have a pretty strong pedigree in Olympic football, and this could be a great group for them to progress beyond the group stages. 

The Steel Roses will need to be at their best against Brazil to grab three points, Netherlands is probably beyond them and they should be run away winners against Zambia.

Wang told Xinhua, “No matter whether we are in Group F or G, we are not afraid of anyone, even the World Cup winners. We expect an opening victory.”

Matches

Date Local Time AEST Venue Team A v Team B
21/7/2021 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Miyagi Stadium China vs Brazil
24/7/2021 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Miyagi Stadium China vs Zambia
27/7/2021 8:30 PM 9:30 PM International Stadium, Yokohama Netherlands vs China

 

Follow Beyond 90's coverage of the Olympics.

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