After the Chinese women’s football team flew to Montpellier, the fourth place of the World Cup on June 21, local time, they immediately put into training that afternoon to prepare for the elimination match with the Italian team’s top 16.
It is understood that although Wang Shanshan, the main shooter with injuries, did not participate in the whole team training in Le Havre in the last city on the 20th, he appeared at the training ground on the afternoon of the 21st and conducted training for recovering alone. The rest of the teammates conducted routine pre-match training under the leadership of the coaching team. On the 25th, coach Jia Xiuquan will lead the Chinese women’s football team to compete with the Italian team in the top 16 matches.
When interviewed by the media after the training, captain Wu Haiyan talked about some views on the Italian team.
When asked if she would pay attention to the sharp front line of the Italian team as the backbone of the defense, the main central defender said: “We will definitely make a detailed video analysis of their attacking players, but after all, we also experienced teams with relatively strong attacks in the group match, these are all within the scope of our preparation.”
Judging from the results of the group matches of the two teams, the Italian team is even more amazing. Although it was classified as the third team in the group draw before the World Cup, the Italian women’s football team, which participated in this competition for the first time in the past 20 years, unexpectedly pressed the Australian team and the traditional Brazilian team, which ranked first in Asia, with the advantages of two consecutive wins and net victory, we will be the first in Group C and make a strong promotion.
In Group B, the Chinese team won South Africa by 0:1 minus Germany, 1:0 and Spain by 0:0, becoming one of the third best results in 4 of the 6 groups, smooth exit.
When asked whether the mentality will be more relaxed and confident in the elimination stage, Wu Haiyan said: “In fact, I think the most important thing is to pass three games in the group match, seeing that we may not be bold or confident enough on the offensive side, this is what needs to be improved next.”
In 2015, the Chinese team once played against the Italian team twice in the friendly match under the leadership of Bruno, a French coach at that time, and achieved one win and one draw. However, former midfield general Zhang Rui said that European teams had made rapid progress and the confrontation at that time had not had much reference value.
Wu Haiyan also thinks that the Italian team has made great progress, “the whole European football has made rapid progress. We also hope that through our performance, more people will participate in football. More girls in China are willing to play football, so as to promote the better development of women’s football.”
When asked about the possible overtime and penalty kick topics in the elimination match, Wu Haiyan said, “I think we should be prepared for both the overtime and penalty kick in the elimination match. But we hope to solve the battle in 90 minutes, which is a better guarantee for our physical fitness or all aspects. But if we hit plus time or penalty kick, we will also be fully prepared.”