‘Steel Roses’ in full bloom
Chinese women find their scoring touch again to revive glory days
It’s 20 years since China’s women pocketed soccer gold at the Asian Games in Bangkok, but after decades of decline, the “Steel Roses” are once again blooming on the continental stage.
Five straight wins without conceding while amassing a mammoth 31-goal haul at the other end of the pitch propelled Jia Xiuquan’s side, reviving memories of the glory years, though the team lost Friday night’s final 1-0 against Japan in Palembang.
This bunch of sharp shooters bear many similarities to China’s vintage sides. In 1990 the nation romped to gold at the Beijing Asiad without dropping a point and hitting the net 26 times. After retaining the title four years later in Hiroshima, there was another perfect run to glory in 1998 in Thailand — this time with a 28-goal tally.
Asian domination was punctuated by runner-up spots at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 1999 FIFA World Cup before a slump kicked in at the turn of the millennium.
Those lean days are well and truly gone, however.
“We are not here for a vacation. Throughout the competition, we can see that our hard training has paid off. This is what we can get through hard work,” said forward Wang Shanshan, referring to the squad’s intensive months of preparations prior to the Games.
That entailed two threehour sessions a day, which Wang admitted was gruesome going initially.
“Usually, we had strength training in the morning and worked on tactics in the afternoon. Every day for us was exhausting,” she said. “It was the toughest training we’ve ever had. We were asking ourselves why it was so hard.”
The punishing regime soon took its toll in the form of fatigue and minor injuries, but, with the benefit of hindsight, midfielder Gu Yasha is glad the squad toughed it out.
“It’s been very effective and made us more confident to handle any situation thrown at us,” said Gu. “If we hadn’t done this training, we would have struggled under pressure.”
Tight squeeze
Making the players’ task slightly tougher has been their less-than-salubrious accommodation in Palembang.
Space is at a premium in the dormitory in the athletes’ village, with washing facilities located on the balconies of some rooms.
Add Indonesia’s heat, humidity and thriving insect population into the mix, and the squad has had plenty of cause for complaint — just ask defender Lin Yuping, whose eye was bitten by a mosquito to leave her with an extremely inconvenient itch.
Lin, however, has not missed a single match or training session, and, aided by a comprehensive support system from the Chinese Football Association, the team’s fighting spirit has remained undiminished.
“The condition is not ideal for sure,” said Gu. “But we are here to win, not for good hotels. These factors have not affected our determination to win gold.”
Coaching class
Steering the squad through these choppy waters has been coach Jia, who only took the reins in May, replacing Icelander Sigurdur Ragnar Eyjolfsson.
The CFA made the controversial change after deciding Jia’s leadership would give the team a better chance at success at the Asiad and next year’s World Cup in France.
Jia brings with him a wealth of experience in the men’s game. As a player, he won 55 international caps and played in Serbia, Malaysia and Japan. A move into coaching has seen him take charge of various age-grade national teams, as well as Henan Jianye and Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, but he had never previously worked in the women’s game.
His appointment, though, has proven to be a masterstroke.
“We do not fear anybody, and everyone is united and motivated,” said goalkeeper Zhao Lina. “At the Asiad, we have picked up a new momentum. We are strong and not the team we used to be.”
With the squad having an average age of around 26, Jia’s selection of many veterans has been key to that transformation. “The whole atmosphere in our team is very good,” said 28-year-old Gu. “The younger players push us to try harder, and the older players provide the team with experience.”
The 54-year-old Jia, meanwhile, is looking beyond the Asian Games as he bids to repay the CFA’s faith in him.
“I thought at my age I should do something to help the development of Chinese soccer,” he said. “As a coach, it’s not easy to lead any national team, no matter if it’s men, women or even juniors.
“I put national honor ahead of myself. I’m trying my best to not fail people’s trust and expectation.”
Throughout the competition, we can see that our hard training has paid off. This is what we can get through hard work.”
Wang Shanshan, on Team China’s intensive preparations for the Asian Games