First Shot at Title Defense! Chinese Women's Football Team's Opening Match Against Bangladesh, Milicic: Take It One Game at a Time, Aim for the Finals

Reported by our newspaper's correspondent team At 4 p.m. Beijing time on March 3, the Chinese women's football team will face Bangladesh at Sydney's Western Sydney Stadium, firing the first shot in their Asian Cup title defense. Coaching at home, Chinese women's team head coach Milicic naturally hopes the team can reach the finals, but before the first match he emphasized that the team must not aim too high or underestimate any opponent. "We must first focus on the opening match, take it one game at a time."

In the previous Asian Cup, the Chinese women's football team miraculously won the championship, but their performance declined afterwards. Head coach Shui Qingxia stepped down, and Milicic also faced a crisis after taking over. This Asian Cup is a major test and perhaps the ultimate challenge for him.

To prepare for the Asian Cup, the Chinese women's football team formulated a detailed plan. From January 4 to 22 this year, the team held the first phase of training camp in Shenzhen, focusing more on physical conditioning and monitoring players' fitness to bring them to peak condition. The second phase from late January to early February included friendly matches to simulate potential Asian Cup scenarios. During the Shenzhen camp, the team practiced both four-defender and three-center-back tactical formations to adapt to different opponents and situations. On February 20, the team arrived in Newcastle, Australia, nine days early for the final sprint. On the afternoon of February 27, the Chinese women's football team arrived at their Asian Cup accommodation hotel in Sydney, Australia.

During their training camp in Australia, the Chinese women's football team chose a training ground in Newcastle, over 150 kilometers from the match venue in Sydney. The No. 2 sports ground in the city center is also the home stadium of the A-League Women's team Newcastle Jets. Here, the Chinese team trained for nearly a week.

The training conditions in Newcastle were excellent. Milicic believed the local conditions were good, with beaches available for player recovery, and the training grounds and fitness facilities were of high standard, allowing for high-quality training sessions. While in Newcastle, the Chinese team played two friendly matches against A-League Women's teams Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets, simulating group stage opponents.

In the match against Central Coast Mariners Women, first-half goals from Wu Rigumula and Zhang Rui gave China a 2-0 lead. In the second half, the opponent pulled one back from a corner, before Liu Jing's strike extended the lead again. Ultimately, China won 3-1. Against Newcastle Jets Women, Zhang Linyan scored on a counter-attack in the first half. In the second half, Tang Jiali scored twice, and Zhang Linyan capitalized on a goalkeeper error to add another. Finally, China secured a 4-0 victory.

Although the opponents were only A-League Women's teams and not at full strength, what mattered was the Chinese team's own performance. While testing tactics and building teamwork, these matches also boosted the players' morale and confidence. "These two friendlies have been a great help to the team," Milicic said, stating they fully met his expectations.

Against Central Coast Mariners Women, Milicic's starting lineup was: goalkeeper Chen Chen; defenders Wu Haiyan, Wang Linlin, Lü Yatong, Zhang Chengxue; midfielders Zhang Rui, Wang Aifang, Wang Shuang, Liu Jing; forwards Wu Rigumula and Jin Kun. Against Newcastle Jets Women, the starting lineup was: goalkeeper Chen Chen; defenders Wang Ying, Yao Wei, Li Mengwen, Chen Qiaozhu; midfielders Li Qingtong, Wang Yanwen, Zhang Xin, Zhang Linyan; forwards Wu Chengshu and Shao Ziqin.

Judging from the starting lineups of these two matches, Chen Chen has essentially secured the number one goalkeeper position based on her performances in the AFC Women's Club Championship and the FIFA Women's Club World Cup. In other positions, Milicic made significant rotations for further assessment. It is foreseeable that for the first two matches, Milicic will give players ample opportunity to prove themselves. However, starting from the match against North Korea, China must field their strongest starting eleven while also keeping options on the bench.

In this Asian Cup, China is grouped with Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and North Korea. External opinion suggests China and North Korea are far stronger than the other two teams, making qualification expected; the focus is on ranking, as group ranking determines knockout stage matchups and paths.

But Milicic stated he isn't overthinking it, emphasizing the need to fight from the group stage itself. He demands players take every match seriously, including the first group match against Bangladesh. "We must respect every opponent and ensure we have the right mindset from the first minute." Milicic's message is clear: fight in every match. For a Chinese team in a transition period, "underestimating any opponent could come at a cost."

Regarding this Asian Cup, expectations are actually not high due to previous performances, especially the heavy defeat to England. However, before the tournament, Milicic's stance has been firm: reach the final. "Within Asia, everyone knows this team is the pride of the Chinese people. We must do everything possible to reach the final and make everyone proud of us."

Currently, Japan, Australia, and North Korea are considered title favorites. China faces North Korea in the group stage. To gain an advantage over them, China must first aim to defeat them, though that appears very difficult currently. The secondary goal is to draw, but China must secure a better goal difference than North Korea in the first two matches. However, at the pre-match press conference for the opener, Milicic again emphasized now is not the time to think about the final group match against North Korea. "I know everyone back home is discussing the North Korea match, but we first need to focus our attention and energy on our opening opponent. After this match, we recover, review, and prepare for the next one."

Milicic emphasized that Bangladesh is a tournament newcomer that won't put excessive pressure on itself, "a team full of vitality, hard work, and enjoyment of football. We expect a tough match tomorrow, and we will focus on ourselves as always." When asked again pre-match if the goal is to win the championship, Milicic affirmed it's the mindset any national team coach should have, but on the eve of battle, he stressed focusing on each match. "Focus on ourselves, fight one game at a time. I have my expectations, and they are high. We don't need external reminders about how important it is to perform well."

Veteran Wu Haiyan, who missed the previous Asian Cup-winning campaign due to injury, attended the press conference with the Australian. The former captain admitted: "The national team has been through a low point and faced considerable criticism. That's precisely why we are more motivated to deliver an outstanding performance." She also pledged to give her all as captain to help the team go far.

Although Milicic showed due respect, Bangladesh is indeed the weakest team in Group B. The Bangladesh women's team played their first international match only in 2010, won their first SAFF Women's Championship in 2022, and has improved yearly. In 2023, they made their Asian Games debut. Although they lost 0-8 to a not-full-strength Japan and 1-6 to Vietnam in the group stage in Wenzhou, they still made their mark.

In 2024, English coach Paul Butler took charge of Bangladesh. In October, they defeated the host Nepal to retain the SAFF Women's Championship. In the 2025 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, Bangladesh won three consecutive matches, defeating host Myanmar, and qualified for the Women's Asian Cup finals for the first time in their history. At that time, Bangladesh was ranked only 128th in the world, the lowest-ranked team ever to qualify for the Women's Asian Cup qualifiers.

China has never faced Bangladesh before, but both teams played against Thailand last year, providing an indirect reference. China thrashed Thailand 5-1 in Yongchuan, while Bangladesh suffered double defeats to Thailand in Bangkok, 3-0 and 5-1, highlighting the gap. In November last year, preparing for the Asian Cup, Bangladesh hosted friendlies against Malaysia and Azerbaijan, losing 0-1 and 1-2 respectively. On February 25, Bangladesh drew 1-1 with Western Sydney Wanderers Women in Sydney, showing some improvement.

It is worth noting that in February last year, the Bangladesh team experienced a training boycott. Led by top scorer Sabina Khatun, 18 players refused to train, demanding the dismissal of coach Butler. The 32-year-old Khatun is the team's all-time top scorer (38 goals) and captain, a two-time SAFF Women's Championship winner. Although the crisis was resolved three months later, five senior players, including Khatun, who were excluded by Butler at the time, were left out of the tournament squad.

The Bangladesh team is very young. Of the 26 players, 24 are 23 years old or younger, 12 are under 20, the two youngest are only 16, with an average age under 19.8. In terms of international experience, only 11 players have more than 20 national team appearances. Furthermore, all players are from the amateur Bangladesh Women's Football League. The absence of five experienced senior players significantly impacts Bangladesh's strength.

Before the opening match, Butler emphasized that the Bangladesh women's team has their own game plan. "Regardless of the outcome, we will stick to our style of play. Even if the situation is unfavorable, we will never park the bus and defend desperately. That's not our football philosophy." Frankly, this mindset from the opponent might be somewhat beneficial for China. Considering the need to prepare for the tough final group match, China must secure as many goals as possible against Bangladesh in the opening encounter.

For the Chinese women's football team and Milicic, this Asian Cup is undoubtedly a major test. After missing out on the 2024 Paris Olympics, the team went through a long period without major tournaments, and performances in some friendlies were unsatisfactory. The team urgently needs to consolidate its position in Asia. As for Milicic himself, once on the brink of dismissal and never highly regarded externally, the Asian Cup could be his last hope to stay. Can the defending champion, entering the tournament with something of an "underdog" mentality, deliver a satisfactory answer?