Football has a way of bringing familiar faces back together and Round 2 of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ will be no exception.
Although Morocco’s ASFAR have never crossed paths with Wuhan Jiangda before, two players will have the opportunity to reminisce about the good old days when they meet in the inaugural edition of FIFA’s global women’s club competition.
ASFAR star Anissa Lahmari is due to be reunited with Wang Shuang, a player she shared a dressing room with at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2018-19 season.
Speaking to FIFA ahead of Sunday’s clash at Morocco’s Stade Municipal de Berrechid, Lahmari said with a smile: “I’ll be pleased to see her again this weekend.”
Although their career paths have diverged since then, they have both earned top continental honours. Indeed, Lahmari did so as recently as 21 November when ASFAR beat ASEC Mimosas in the CAF Women’s Champions League final, a mere three months after she joined the club.
In an extensive interview with FIFA, former France youth international Lahmari shared her take on recent experiences with the club, including how it felt to conquer Africa’s continental competition. She also reflected on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, when she made her Morocco debut and scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Colombia to propel her team to the Round of 16.
Anissa Lahmari: It’s always a good feeling. It was a completely new experience for me. I think it had been three years since the club had last won it [their previous win was in 2022]. We achieved our goal, so I’m happy. It was still stressful because it was a final, after all, but the girls handled it well.
Yes, definitely. In fact, that was the focus of the coach’s message throughout the competition. He didn’t really speak to us about winning the Champions League; instead, he was focused on winning a place in the Women’s Champions Cup. Before the final, he reiterated that it wasn’t just a final – it was also a chance to be one of the first teams to play in the Champions Cup.
I’ve heard of them, but mainly because I know a talented player who is there, someone who was my team-mate at Paris Saint-Germain for a year: Wang Shuang. I’m looking forward to seeing her again. I remember when she joined PSG and how hard it was for her to leave China. She was young at the time – it was her first opportunity – but she was already a great player. I’ll be pleased to see her again this weekend. It promises to be a tantalising tie and a gripping contest.
I’ve already played Arsenal twice in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and it’s always an exciting fixture. But, first, we have to get through the weekend because a strong Wuhan side are standing in our way. Ultimately, the plan is to ensure we make it to London. The European champions against the African champions would make for a mouthwatering match-up.
Our togetherness. The girls have been playing together for years now, and we know each other inside out. There’s a real family atmosphere, but it’s also extremely demanding from a sporting standpoint. There are some standout individuals – some exceptional players – but the team always comes first. ASFAR have been dominating Moroccan football for years. When it comes to high standards, it’s vital that any new players buy into that mindset. There’s the family side of things, with girls who are constantly having a laugh, but the club also has a culture of high expectations which are embodied by the team.
I have nothing but good memories. It was Morocco’s first World Cup, so everyone had a great deal of responsibility resting on their shoulders. It went pretty well for us, although the opener [a 6-0 loss to Germany] was a setback. We really were thrown in at the deep end. That aside, it was great.
Our journey ended against my former team-mates [in a 4-0 defeat to France in the last 16], friends I’d spent time with in France and some of whom I’m still close to today. It was a fantastic experience. Two years have already passed, and it’s been overwhelmingly positive for Morocco. When you experience a World Cup like that, it obviously whets your appetite to do other things – not just here in Africa at the Women’s Cup of Nations, but also at the next World Cup in Brazil.
The aim is to win the Cup of Nations. We finished as runners-up in the last edition, so that has to be our starting point. After that, the World Cup will be taking place in a country where football is a way of life. When we were kids, we all discovered football thanks to the likes of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. We used to watch Brazilian players all the time. It really resonated with us. Taking part in a World Cup on Brazilian soil would be incredible for any player, no matter where they come from. I think anyone you ask would say the same thing.
I think so. It’s always exciting to play in competitions like these. I’m not sure whether it affects selection for the national team – it depends on the coach’s perspective. In any case, it’s important for individual players to be involved in these types of competition as often as possible, especially when something like the Africa Cup of Nations is on the horizon part-way through the season.
Main photo courtesy of jadmaker1
