By Ivan Yeo
The Chinese women’s national soccer team is starting to party like it’s 1999.
And if the U.S. defeats Colombia on Monday as many expect to happen, then it really will be time to bust out Prince’s hit soundtrack. Wang Shanshan’s goal in the first half was all China needed to ensure a place in the quarterfinals, as they held off Cameroon 1-0 at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday evening.
The win is China’s first in the knockout stages since 1999. China, an original power in Women’s Soccer, had a brief drop off, missing out on the 2011 World Cup in Germany, the only time in its history that it did not participate in the World Cup. China in recent years however has taken steps to reestablish itself as a women’s soccer contender, and Saturday’s win to advance to the quarters along with its No. 16 FIFA ranking are another step forward for the Chinese.
China got its chance in the 12th minute. Wang Lisi sent a corner kick into the Cameroon penalty area, Li Dongna brought the ball down, took a touch before playing a short cross to Shanshan, who one-time a ball past keeper Anette Ngo Ndom at the far post area to stake China to the lead.
Cameroon didn’t starting mounting scoring chances until the second half. Cameroon had its first great chance in the 64th minute. Gabrielle Onguene chased down an open ball inside the penalty area, sent it backwards to Ajara Nchout, who then whipped a short cross inside the six-yard box to Gaelle Enganamouit and she leaped and headed a ball that took a deflection off the Chinese, went high in the air, but glanced off the top of the crossbar and out for a corner. Another great scoring chance for Cameroon came in the 87th minute, as Onguene crossed into the penalty area and Henriette Akaba headed the ball for goal, but it narrowly missed the back post.
China had a few chances themselves to add to its lead. The first came early in the second half, as Han Peng played a ball over the Cameroon defense and Shanshan timed her run good enough to prevent the offside flag from going up. Shanshan sprinted with the ball into the penalty area and fired a shot past Ngo Ndom, but it missed the far post. Another chance for China came in the 79th minute, as an errant clearance attempt by the Cameroon defense freed up Jiahui Lou for a run at goal. Lou attempted to lob a ball over Ngo Ndom, but the keeper wasn’t fazed, as she parried the ball over the endline with her right hand.
