The women’s national team is the toast of China after recording the country’s first World Cup victory since 2007.
Wang Lisi’s 91st-minute winner was enough for her side to scrape past the Netherlands Thursday in a match it dominated from start to finish.
China has enjoyed relative success since the inception of the Women’s World Cup in 1991, reaching the quarterfinals on three occasions – two of those coming when it hosted the tournament in 1991 and 2007.
Its best ever finish was a runner-up spot in the 1999 edition of the competition when it lost out on penalties to the United States.
This is in stark contrast to the men’s national team, which has qualified for just one World Cup – in 2002 – and lost all three games that year without scoring a goal.
The women’s team suffered an opening-day defeat at the hands of host Canada last week and exacted redemption of sorts with its own injury-time winner against the Netherlands.
The victory leaves China tied on three points with Thursday’s opponent – one behind group leader Canada, who played out a storm-interrupted goalless draw with New Zealand later that night.
“We created lots of scoring opportunities,” China coach Hao Wei told FIFA’s official website. “Our players were under a lot of pressure after losing the first match. Today they showcased their true abilities and I am so proud of them.
“We should have scored more, although this team is very young and lacks international experience. However, they executed the game plan well and I’m delighted with their performance.”
