Wang Shuang dedicates Wuhan’s CWSL title to city’s Covid-19 medical workers
- Side end 19-year wait to be Chinese champions with a 4-0 over title-holders Jiangsu Suning
- China’s star player missed Tokyo 2020 qualifiers in lockdown in her hometown after returning for Lunar New Year
China’s star footballer Wang Shuang ended a tumultuous year as a Chinese Women’s Super League champion on Sunday before dedicating the title to medical workers in Wuhan.
“Considering the current circumstances and the ongoing pandemic, the trophy means a lot to Wuhan,” she told media after Wuhan Chedu Jianghan University’s 4-0 win over last year’s champions Jiangsu Suning.
“Our team have been cooped up for about four months and were unable to have training sessions due to the coronavirus lockdown. But when I finally stepped onto the pitch, my dream was to bring the league title back home to Wuhan, to all those health care workers and fans who remained unyielding in their support for this city,” she said.
Wang, who returned from Paris Saint-Germain to China to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifiers, spent the early part of the year in lockdown in her hometown of Wuhan as the city battled the first cases of the coronavirus pandemic.
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She had returned to the city for Lunar New Year before being trapped in lockdown for 76 days. Wang missed China’s trip to Australia for Olympic qualifiers during that time, with her teammates forced to quarantine in a Brisbane hotel. They secured a play-off berth against South Korea but the two-legged tie originally set for March has been postponed because of the pandemic. The Tokyo 2020 Games have also been postponed until next year.
Wang Shuang leads China footballers sharing videos of training in quarantine
The 25-year-old, who is referred to as “Lady Messi by her fans, set-up the final goal in Sunday’s 4-0 win in the final over last season’s CWSL champions to end Wuhan’s 19-year wait for the title.
