AFC Women’s Asia Cup: Chasing their first title in 16 years, Shui Qingxia’s China will expect nothing less than victory when they face Vietnam in the Women’s Asian Cup quarter-finals here on Sunday. Follow Insidesport.IN For more updates
China PR have won the tournament a record eight times but last tasted victory in 2006 and the Steel Roses are determined to end the long wait.
Standing in their way are a Vietnam side also chasing history – having never won the title before while a win on Sunday will take the Southeast Asian side into the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
AFC Women’s Asia Cup: China start favourites against Vietnam
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China PR will take to the D.Y. Patil Stadium confidently after a group stage campaign which saw them defeat Chinese Taipei 4-0 and Iran 7-0.
“Of course it has been a good journey for us in this tournament,” said Shui. “Our team is in the right frame of mind heading into the quarter-finals.”
“Our aim is to win every match. What is important is self confidence and I want the players to believe in themselves. Every team has a chance to win in the quarter-finals and it is important for us to perform to our strengths and also manage our emotions well during the match.”
Former international Shui, who replaced Jia Xiuquan as head coach last November, said captain Wang Shuang and veteran forward Wang Shanshan will have to play key roles for the Steel Roses.
“As a player, Wang Shuang has plenty of advantages on the field. She is a charismatic player who oozes confidence. I think if everyone comes together to perform alongside Wang Shuang, we will be unstoppable. Everyone should have her level of confidence.”
Wang Shuang and Wang Shanshan have scored a combined total of 93 goals for China, with Wang Shuang having scored four in the tournament, one more than her teammate who is eager for the pair to power China against Vietnam.
“I think Wang Shuang is very talented,” said Wang Shanshan.
“She is very good and performs well during games. She is a good role model for others. Playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup is every footballer’s dream and we will perform at our very best (against Vietnam).”
“I think it’s natural for the whole team to be united as we are striving for the same goals. With three more wins to go, we are confident of winning the title.”
Sunday’s clash will be the 10th time the teams will cross swords, and despite China PR having won all the previous encounters, head coach Mai Duc Chung believes Vietnam have a strong chance.
AFC Women’s Asia Cup: China start favourites against Vietnam
“First of all, we are happy to be here in the quarter-finals and are prepared to face China,” said Mai. “Although we had some difficulties during training yesterday with player fitness, we are ready for the match.”
Sunday’s clash will be the 10th time the teams will cross swords, and despite China having won all the previous matches, head coach Mai Duc Chung believes Vietnam have a strong chance.
“First of all, we are happy to be here in the quarter-finals and are prepared to face China,” said Mai. “Although we had some difficulties during training yesterday with player fitness, we are ready for the match.”
“The path to success is not easy. The more we progress in this competition, the more difficult it’s going to be. However, we’re in a good position and we have to make the most of it. We have a match to play and we need to keep fighting for the team and our fans.
“The group matches against Japan and Korea were tough as they were higher ranked teams but we will try our best against China.”
Vietnam lost to both Japan and South Korea, but Mai’s charges worked hard to salvage the draw against Myanmar which took them to the quarter-finals and captain Huynh Nhu expects to see that spirit against China.
“We want to keep going,” said Nhu. “It’s natural for any team to want success but we need to show strength and determination against China.
“Reaching the quarter-finals is just the first step and it was the result of our collective efforts against Myanmar. I’m confident if we continue with the same mentality as we did in the final group game, we can win tomorrow.”
AFC Women’s Asia Cup: China start favourites against Vietnam
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