Tokyo Olympics: China’s Wang Shuang scores four in draw with Zambia
- Former PSG star scores all four for Steel Roses in eight-goal thriller with Zambia that all but ends Olympic dream
- Barbra Banda nets a hat-trick in topsy-turvy tie that also sees Chinese defender Li Qingtong sent off in late drama
The pair played out a 4-4 draw at the Miyagi Stadium where both will feel they did enough to win it and keep their dream alive.
China – the silver medallists in Atlanta in 1996 – will feel like they let the biggest opportunity slip through their fingers, though.
The Steel Roses took the lead through star player Wang Shuang, the former Paris St Germain forward, after just six minutes.
Despite Zambia levelling through Racheal Kundananji on the quarter hour, Jia Xuquan’s side were soon 3-1 up, thanks to Wang completing her hat-trick with goals in the 22nd and 23rd minutes.
The scoreline was indicative of the expected gulf in class between world No 15 China and the 104th best team in the world.
Zambia striker Barbra Banda had other ideas than sticking to the Fifa rankings, making the score 3-2 by the interval with a penalty and then levelling soon after the restart.
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The 21-year-old scored her third and Zambia’s fourth on 69 minutes to take the lead for the first time.
Banda should have been all too familiar to the all-Chinese Women’s Super League squad, having torn up defences for CWSL side Shanghai Shengli since 2020 where she is a teammate of five players in the China squad.
Wang, who dragged China to Tokyo with a starring role over two legs against South Korea in the play-offs, stopped the Zambian fairy tale.
Her penalty and her own fourth goal of the game in the 80th minute levelled matters before late drama at both ends.
First, China hit the post through substitute Xiao Yuyi before Zambia immediately countered and Li Qingtong was sent off for pulling back Banda when clean through on goal.
One-woman show Wang forced another smart save from Zambia keeper Hazel Nali in the five minutes of added time.
Neither teams are likely to go beyond their final group games.
Not only do these teams only have a point each after two games, they both have a shocking goal difference.
China lost 5-0 to Brazil in their opener, while Zambia’s Olympic debut ended with a 10-3 win for the Netherlands.
China play the Netherlands, while Zambia meet Brazil in the last group matches on Tuesday.
