“It was an exceptionally tough match, but this is a historic moment and a historic stage.”
When star forward Wang Shuang appeared for post-match media duties she was exhausted but happy. Her team, Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC, had just made history alongside Auckland United FC by playing the first match in the history of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™, FIFA’s new women’s club competition.
The Chinese international impressed in front of her home supporters and at one point had the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be chalked off for offside. Heavily involved throughout, she finally saw her team take the lead in the 88th minute thanks to a goal from Jiang Chenjing. Until then, the amateur side from New Zealand had put up an impressive fight.
“Auckland United displayed such resilience and they impressed us. They are a good team,’ added the 30-year-old striker.
“Their performance today was actually beyond my expectations”, added captain Yao Wei.
“We analysed their style through video beforehand. We thought they were physically strong and good at tackling, but perhaps their overall system wouldn’t be very strong. However, today they played with a very strong overall game, with a well-organised system, and their desire for victory and spirit were also very impressive.”
Discovering a different style of football and developing clubs around the world are exactly the opportunities that the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup aims to provide. Wuhan certainly benefited from the experience.
“Some of our young players were a bit nervous in the first half, as this was the first time they played in a tournament at this level”, added Yao Wei.
“But this is a very good event for all women’s football clubs in Asia because it provides an opportunity to compete against strong teams. Through this platform, we can learn some of their playing styles, which will be very helpful for us.”
“Matches against teams from other continents can help improve our overall level”, confirmed defender Ma Jun, who was excellent against Auckland on Wednesday, both in defence and attack and if not for another intervention from the impressive goalkeeper Hannah Mitchell she could have added to the score.
“Our defence today was very solid and very organised. Actually, before this match, there were many voices from outside, with some saying that this team was easy to beat. However, we did not underestimate our opponent. We prepared thoroughly.”
“If we manage to qualify [for the final phase] and ultimately face Arsenal, it would be an incredibly valuable learning opportunity”, continued the experienced Chinese international.
That possible semi-final clash is now just one match away, with only December’s date with the yet-to-be-determined African champions standing in the way of Wuhan making a trip to London for the last four showdown.
“Honestly, our dream is to play and learn from top European clubs like Arsenal”, said Wuhan coach Weiwei Chang at the post-match press conference. “Step by step, our players are improving, and our goals are becoming clearer and more ambitious.”
Before that, however, the next step will be to face and defeat the African champions – whose identity will be known on 23 November – in the second round of the competition in December.
“If our team plays the next match with the same attitude as today, I believe we will face a major challenge”, warned Wang Shuang. “We’ll need to make adjustments, review our performance, and come back with full confidence in our tactics, individual and team spirit to face our African opponent.”
Her teammate Ma Jun believes that having foreign players in the team, such as Korea Republic’s Kim Hyeri, who started against Auckland and Ghana’s Mavis Owusu, who came on as a substitute, could be beneficial.
“Players from different continents have their own strengths. African players are fast and physically strong, while Asian players have a strong sense of execution”, she analysed. “In our team, the players with different styles come together and help each other improve. They bring advantages in competitiveness and speed, while we can help them improve coordination and technical skills.”
Now it’s up to Wuhan to continue the magic in the second round as they aim to continue writing a new chapter in the history of women’s club football.
