Chinese Women’s Football Team Defeats Thailand to Keep Olympic Qualification Hopes Alive
In the second round of the Paris Olympic women’s football qualifiers, the Chinese women’s football team secured a crucial victory over Thailand, boosting their chances of advancing to the next stage of the competition. The match took place on October 29 in Xiamen as part of the Asian second stage (Group B) qualifiers.
After suffering a 1-2 defeat in their previous match against North Korea, the Chinese team was determined to bounce back and secure a win against Thailand. The competition rules dictate that only the first-placed team in the group, as well as the second-placed team with the best results among the three groups, can progress to the third stage of the Olympic preliminaries.
The Chinese team had to win by as large a margin as possible to improve their goal difference. Coach Shui Qingxia made significant adjustments to the starting lineup, with Xu Huan replacing Zhu Yu as the goalkeeper and several overseas teenagers and veteran players entering the starting lineup.
In the 15th minute, Chen Qiaozhu provided a long pass from the left, which was volleyed into the net by Yan Jinjin, putting China ahead. Throughout the first half, the Chinese team had numerous scoring opportunities but failed to convert. The Thai goalkeeper also made several impressive saves, keeping the scoreline close.
In the second half, the Chinese team continued to push for goals. It wasn’t until the 68th minute when Chen Qiaozhu’s shot from the left wing found the back of the net, extending China’s lead to 2-0. Just two minutes later, Shen Mengyu broke through from the right and crossed the ball for Uzhugumula, who scored the third goal. The match ended with a final score of 3-0 in favor of the Chinese team.
Despite the victory, the Chinese team’s goal difference fell short of their pre-match expectations. They had 15 shots on target out of 29 attempts.
In another Group B match, South Korea and North Korea played out a goalless draw. Currently, both South Korea and North Korea have 4 points from 1 win and 1 draw, sitting in the top two positions in the group. China is placed third with 3 points from 1 win and 1 loss, while Thailand is at the bottom of the group with two consecutive losses.
In the final round of the group stage on November 1, the Chinese team will face the South Korean team, who currently leads the group. To advance to the next stage of the competition, the Chinese women’s football team must secure a victory against South Korea and hope for favorable results in other matches.