On February 16th, the People's Daily live broadcast welcomed women's international soccer player Tang Jiali. In the conversation, she shared about the just concluded Asian Cup tour and her ambition to play overseas.
Speaking of the joy of winning the championship, Tang Jiali confessed, "I am so excited inside at this moment, this is my first time to win with the national team, which is very meaningful and proud. After winning the championship, I feel immensely surprised, heartfelt thanks to my teammates, coaches, staff and fans for their hard work, we worked together to create this glorious moment."
Talking about the team's performance, Tang Jiali commented: "The team's performance was excellent, but not always stable. Facing strong teams such as Iran and Vietnam, we had ups and downs, but I give full marks to the performance of the women's soccer team. As for the individual performance, I think I have a lot of ups and downs, physical decline led to fluctuations in performance, self-evaluation of 80 points. This is the charm of soccer, a team sport, even if I am not in good shape, my teammates can make up for my shortcomings."
Talking about the guidance of Coach Shui Qingxia during the halftime break of the final, Tang Jiali revealed, "The pressure of the final was so great that we did not play at our best level. During the halftime break, Coach Shui didn't talk too much about tactics, but encouraged us to relax our mindset, enjoy the game and not to be burdened, which encouraged us."
Regarding Shui Qingxia's name, Tang Jiali said, "On the field we call her Shui Guide, who is our coach; off the field, we affectionately call her Shui Mama, because she cares about us in every way, from eating, dressing to the details of life. She is strict on the field but very humorous in life, giving us relaxation like a mother, and also likes to do nail art and discuss fashion topics with us."
After the elimination of Japan, Tang Chia-li shouted slogans to win the championship, for this confidence, she explained: "We were excited to win the Japanese team, which is a strong team in the world soccer world. We chanted the slogan to cheer ourselves up, believing that victory is based on confidence. Our team performed well to get the win, so why couldn't we beat Korea?"
In the face of the praise of the fans, Tang Jiali said, "happy is the main theme, the title of the resounding rose is the water guide generation inherited to us, we also want to inherit this spirit, the pressure is certainly there, but more is the sense of honor."
"The core of the women's soccer spirit is to always believe in yourself and always fight to the end. Mr. Shui always says that we can lose, but we cannot lose. Soccer is unpredictable, we may play well today but lose the game, but we must try our best to the limit. Losing is certainly regrettable, but not regrettable. We have to never lose in spirit and struggle in order to face any challenge."
Talking about the planning for staying in the ocean, Tang Jiali revealed, "After winning the championship, my love for soccer has become even deeper, and I will continue to improve myself at the club, looking forward to the next national team call-up and another good performance. I also have a long-term goal to stay in the ocean, hoping to accumulate more experience, improve my skills and vision, contribute to the national team, and let the women's soccer team occupy a place on the world stage."
