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Women’s Asian Cup: China on verge of 2023 World Cup qualification with Vietnam standing in their way
- Steel Roses take unbeaten run into the quarter-finals against knockout round debutants Vietnam on Sunday
- A win would ensure Shui Qingxia’s first major achievement since taking over last November
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China women are one win away from qualifying for the 2023 Fifa World Cup, and are also chasing their first AFC Asian Cup gold in 16 years.
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Coach Shui Qingxia’s side have been in good form, overpowering Taiwan and Iran 4-0 and 7-0 respectively in the group stage of the competition, before receiving a default win after India pulled out earlier this week.
But the Steel Roses face dangerous opposition in the quarter-finals. Vietnam, who despite not winning a single group game, will be hugely motivated after reaching the knockout round for the first time after a 2-2 draw against Myanmar on Thursday.
China, who dropped to 19th in the Fifa world rankings after their two group wins – likely because they had not competed for ninth months before the tournament – will be looking to star captain Wang Shuang and veteran forward Wang Shanshan to continue their rich goalscoring form in India.
Should China beat Vietnam, they will face either two-time defending champions Japan or best third-placed group team Thailand in the semi-final on February 3.
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