The Chinese women’s soccer team rekindled their famous fighting spirit to end a 16-year wait to lift the Asian Cup. Having trailed (落后) 2-0 in the final in Navi Mumbai, India, on the night of February 6, 2022, the team summoned all of their determination and resolve to battle back and tie the game before Xiao Yuyi fired home a dramatic 93rd-minute goal from Wang Shanshan’s assist to secure the title.

The victory earned China a record ninth Asian Cup title, which atoned for their disappointing performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. China’s Tokyo 2020 participation ended with a shocking 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, showing just how far Chinese women’s soccer had fallen behind the game’s elite nations. The huge turnaround in fortunes made the win extra special for fans.

“Although the players come from different cities, we need to come together. We never let our heads drop when we were 0-2 down. The players overcame both their opponents and themselves,” said the head coach Shui Qingxia.

The Steel Roses’ victory completely dominated discussion on Chinese social media. The topic “Chinese women’s team wins Asian Cup” was viewed over 1.1 billion times by February 7, but that was just one of 10 trending topics related to the women’s team on Weibo. Countless thrilled people commented that “The whole team is worthy of every praise.” After their victory, media and experts urged for greater support for the development of the women’s game. A number of Chinese companies have already taken it upon themselves to reward them, with dairy giant Mengniu Group gifting the team 10 million yuan after its heroics.

Now the work is to continue to revive past glories, as well as improve the standard of the domestic leagues and youth training to give the country a better chance of producing more great players. This victory certainly showed that such targets can be realized. The women’s soccer team has great spirit and skill. They are our role models!

How the 2022 World Cup Works

The World Cup is nearly here. The schedule is complete. The leagues have stopped. The players have arrived. Yet even as the teams know where they are meant to be and who they are meant to play, there are still plenty of questions about how things will unfold as soccer moves center stage over the month in Qatar. 【小题1】

This year’s host is Qatar, which in 2010 beat the United States and Japan to win the right to hold the tournament. Whether that was an honest competition remains in dispute. 【小题2】 The World Cup has never been held on the Arabian Peninsula before.

The tournament will open on Nov.20, when Qatar plays Ecuador. That counts as a slow day; over the two weeks that follow, four games will be played on most days. 【小题3】 when the winner gets a very heavy (and surprisingly small) gold trophy.

No. The World Cup usually takes place in July or it did, until Qatar won the right to host it. Considering the fact that its temperatures can reach 120 degrees (48.8℃), FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, agreed to move the tournament to the relatively bearable months of November and December.

【小题5】 At 4,416 square miles, it is 0.12 percent of the size of the United States and by far the smallest nation ever to host the World Cup. All the games will take place in a tight circle of eight stadiums in and around the capital, Doha, making it the smallest-sized World Cup in history.