In her team’s opening Women’s World Cup match against Denmark on Saturday, China’s head coach Shui Qingxia urged her players to step up and perform better. China lost the tight game 1-0, with Amalie Vangsgaard of Denmark scoring the game-winner.
Shui, whose team is in Group D with European powerhouses England, Denmark, and Haiti, said before the game that the opening game is truly make or break and that it’s difficult to predict how much of a chance they have to win.
The Chinese lost to the United States in a penalty shootout at Pasenda Rose Bowl in 1999, a time when the nation dominated the game in Asia and competed with the Americans for global supremacy.
Despite the fact that those days are long gone, Shui, an Olympic midfielder who took home a silver medal in 1996, believes that this year’s competition will be the following step in the long process of returning to the top.
Who is Shui Qingxia?
Qingxia was born on December 18, 1966, and is currently 56 years old. She was a former player in Chinese football and currently serves as the team’s head coach. She competed in the Olympic football tournaments for China in 1996 and 2000 as a midfielder.
Shui won the silver medal for China in the 1996 Summer Olympics. She participated in all five contests. Four years later, she was a part of the Chinese team that finished fifth in the women’s tournament, but she didn’t take part in any matches.
The “United Team” in the 2021 National Games of China, which included many players from other nations, was led by Shui as its head coach. On November 18, 2021, she was appointed manager of the China women’s national team, making her the first female manager in Chinese history. She led the team to victory in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the nation’s first triumph in the competition in sixteen years.
Read more: Who is Amalie Vangsgaard? Scored to give Denmark a crucial win
