East Asian Cup - Yao Wei scored with a pass from Shao Ziqin, and the Chinese women s football team tied 2-2 by South Korea!

On the evening of July 9, 2025, the turf of the Suwon World Cup Stadium in South Korea was steaming with hormones in a humid and hot summer night. When the referee blew the final whistle, the Chinese women's football girls sat on the grass, looking dullly at the dazzling "2-2" on the scoreboard. This is a dramatic peak match between the Asian women's football team. Yao Wei's pass and Shao Ziqin's header once made the victory within reach, but the world wave of South Korean veteran Chi Xiaoran in stoppage time turned the efforts of the Chinese team into a bubble.

1. Dream start and defense crisis

The Chinese team showed efficient offensive efficiency in just 15 minutes of the game. Kim Kun broke through on the right and made a cross from the bottom. The South Korean defender headed the ball to the front of the penalty area. Yao Wei made a slight adjustment and shot the ball, and the ball slapped straight into the dead corner of the goal like a shell. This world wave not only ignited the enthusiasm of Chinese fans at the scene, but also made South Korean coach Shin Sang clench his fists on the sidelines again.

However, the joy of leading did not last long. The South Korean team quickly launched a high-level pressing, using the Chinese team's defense to create space for counterattack. In the first half, the South Korean team made a cross from the right by Pan Hongyan, and Zhang Seqi equalized the score with a clever shot. This goal exposed the distraction problem of the Chinese team's defensive set-piece. Although goalkeeper Pan Hongyan made a wonderful save, the back line failed to block the second landing point in time.

2. Yao Wei's pass shot and Shao Ziqin's youth storm

changed sides again in the second half, and the Chinese coach Milicic decisively replaced the attackers such as Tang Jiali and Wang Yanwen, trying to strengthen the offensive firepower. In the 67th minute, Chen Qiaozhu made a precise cross from the left, Yao Wei headed the ball and then rubbed it. Shao Ziqin, who came on the bench, headed the ball and scored before the Korean defender. This goal demonstrates the tactical diversity of the Chinese team - it has both a three-dimensional offense from the cross from the wing and a fulcrum of the high center.

It is worth mentioning that as the representative of the new generation of high center forwards, the 22-year-old Shao Ziqin fully demonstrated his comprehensive skills in this game. At 1.79 meters tall, she not only has the advantage of heading, but also can complete delicate movements such as turning and volleying in the penalty area. This is in line with her performance of performing a hat trick in the 2025 Yongchuan International Women's Football Championship, showing the initial results of the Chinese women's football team's youth strategy.

3. Stop-time winning and tactical reflection

When the game enters stoppage time, the Chinese team seems to have won the victory. However, the South Korean team did not give up. In the 94th minute, after Chi Xiaoran received the pass at the front of the penalty area, he made a slight adjustment and used a powerful and powerful left-footed long shot to hit the dead corner. This goal not only reflects Chi Xiaoran's personal ability as a top Asian midfielder, but also exposes the Chinese team's omission to protect the front of the penalty area when leading.

According to technical statistics, the South Korean team has a total ball possession rate of 51%, with 17 shots (7 shots on the right), while the Chinese team has only 6 shots and 3 shots on the right. This reflects the Chinese team's disadvantage in field control. Although the offensive efficiency is high, the loopholes on the defensive end have become fatal injuries. After the game, Milicic admitted: "We lacked concentration when leading, and we need to summarize why we conceded the ball in stoppage time."

4. Historical confrontation and future challenges

The confrontation between China and South Korea women's football team has always been full of gunpowder. Historically, the Chinese team has an absolute advantage with 34 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses, but has only won 2 in 6 matches in the past five years. The draw continued the record of the Chinese women's football team's unbeatable victory against South Korea in the past three East Asian Cups, and also sounded the alarm for the upcoming Asian Cup.

It is worth noting that the South Korean team has activated 9 overseas players in this game, showing stronger tactical execution and game experience. In contrast, although the Chinese team has foreign players such as Wang Shuang and Zhang Linyan, their overall cooperation is still unfamiliar. Wang Shuang missed key opportunities many times in this game and fell into a public opinion storm after the game, which also reflects the fluctuations in the team's core players' status.

5. Injury shadow and follow-up journey, Zhang Xin and Yao Wei left the field due to injuries, casting a shadow on the Chinese team's follow-up journey. As the core of the midfield, Yao Wei's pass and shot are the key to the Chinese team's offense, but her injury may affect the next arrangement against Chinese Taipei and Japanese teams. Milicic said after the game: "We need to study the next countermeasures, including the recovery of injured players."

According to the schedule, the Chinese team will face the Chinese Taipei team on July 13. Despite his superior strength, Milicic emphasized: "Every game needs to be fully committed, and we must ensure that we don't make the same mistake again." If this game is successfully won, the Chinese team is still expected to compete for the championship in the final round of the showdown with the Japanese team.

Conclusion

This 2-2 draw is not only a manifestation of the youth storm of the Chinese women's football team, but also a profound tactical lesson. Yao Wei's pass and shot success and Shao Ziqin's emergence are exciting, but the loopholes on the defensive end and lack of concentration when leading are still the core issues that the team needs to solve. As the Asian Cup approaches, Milicic's team needs to complete the running-in in a short period of time to transform this draw into motivation to move forward. As Jin Kun said after the game: "We are very strong, but we need to do better in midfield control and defensive hardness." We look forward to the clanging roses shining brighter in the next game.