Wuhan women's football team starts strong in the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup!

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the afternoon of October 8th, the first match of the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup began at Wuhan Sports Center. Representing Asia, Wuhan Chegu Jiangda Women's Football Team (referred to as Wuhan women's team) triumphed 1-0 over Oceania champions Auckland United from New Zealand with a late goal by young player Jiang Chenjing in the 88th minute, advancing to the quarterfinals. After the match, Wuhan women's head coach Chang Weiwei said, "Before the game, I expected a high-pressure, decisive match with many difficulties, so we prepared thoroughly. This score is the result of the entire team’s joint effort."

According to the tournament format of the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup, the champions from UEFA, CONMEBOL, and CONCACAF advance directly to the semifinals. The remaining semifinal spot is decided by a match between the Asian champion and the Oceania champion, with the winner facing the African champion next.

Auckland United took this match very seriously; they arrived in China early and held a warm-up match against Shanghai women's team. Chang Weiwei was well aware of this situation beforehand. Before the game, he told reporters, "The team is prepared and will face this match in the best condition." In his mind, Wuhan women's team represents Chinese women's football in this game.

In this match, Wuhan women's starters included Wang Shuang, Yao Wei, Wu Haiyan, Chen Chen, Qin Manman, and young player Huang Baoying. Jiang Chenjing and Song Fei were on the bench.

Right from the start, Wuhan women's team got into the rhythm. At the 6th minute, Wang Shuang's shot was blocked, then Song Duan took a long-range shot, with Auckland United's goalkeeper and defenders making consecutive saves. The first half ended 0-0.

During halftime, Wuhan women's team made adjustments: Song Fei replaced Deng Mengye, and Wang Shuang moved up to the forward position. In the 48th minute, Qin Manman's long shot was spectacularly saved by Auckland United's goalkeeper. At the 74th minute, Song Duan sent a long pass from the back; the opposing goalkeeper rushed out but failed to clear the ball, and Wang Shuang scored into an empty net, unfortunately ruled offside.

In the 88th minute, Wuhan women's efforts finally paid off. Jiang Chenjing, who came on at the 70th minute, pushed the ball into the net inside the box. Although the assistant referee raised the flag for offside again, after VAR review, the goal was confirmed valid. Wuhan women's team scored a last-minute winner, beating their opponent 1-0.

According to the schedule, in early December, Wuhan women's team will compete against the African champion for a semifinal spot.

Recently, Wuhan women's team has been training very hard while managing multiple competitions. However, according to Chang Weiwei, the Women's Club World Cup differs from domestic leagues and cups, "It represents the nation, Hubei Wuhan, and the international image of Chinese clubs." Therefore, no matter how tight the preparation time is, the team must dedicate the best resources to this tournament. "The Club World Cup is an international stage where we want the world to see the strength of Chinese women's football clubs. This responsibility cannot be neglected," Chang Weiwei said seriously during a pre-match interview with reporters.

Regarding the match, Chang Weiwei made several predictions. "This kind of winner-takes-all championship match brings greater pressure and more challenges. The opponent is very strong, with notable pressing, aggression, and physicality. We prepared thoroughly and tactically deployed a five-defender formation, emphasizing collective defense and not conceding goals." After 70 minutes, he switched the formation to 4-4-2. "We took advantage of the home field and weather conditions, plus the players' strong execution, ultimately scoring the decisive goal."

Chang Weiwei stated the team is not yet in its best form. "In key positions such as center back, I rotated players, bringing in Huang Baoying and others. We are gradually enhancing players' physicality and stability through strength training and league matches to ensure availability for critical games. In this match, the whole team showed great fighting spirit and tactical discipline, holding firm under intense pressure until the end. Our players demonstrated their spirit on the field, and I believe they will perform even better going forward."

According to the schedule, Wuhan women's team will next play away against the African champion. Chang Weiwei emphasized preparing well beforehand, aiming to win and then earn the chance to face Arsenal women's team, "This is meaningful for the team's growth and the development of Chinese women's football."

The decisive goal in this match was scored by 21-year-old Jiang Chenjing, a genuine Wuhan native who began her football journey at Wansongyuan Road Primary School in Jianghan District, under the guidance of Deng Shijun. She has been selected for national youth teams but has not yet joined the senior national team.

Although only 1.61 meters tall, Jiang Chenjing plays as a defensive midfielder on the field, known for her tough style and speed. "People say I’m quite a contrast, but I think that’s just me; I’ve always been like this. On the pitch, you have to be brave to fight and use your body to compete, which gives you an advantage."

For Jiang Chenjing, 2025 has been a fruitful year: she won the AFC Champions League with Wuhan women's team, scored in the FIFA Club World Cup, and also won the International University Sports Federation Women’s Football World Cup with Shanghai University of Sport.

Next, Wuhan women's team will rest for three days before fully preparing for the National Games. "Whether it’s the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup or the 15th National Games, we will give our all. We will strive to repay everyone who supports us," said Chang Weiwei.