According to Xinhua News Agency, Warsaw, September 16, the top 16 of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup was held in Sosnowiec, Poland on the 16th. The Chinese team tied with the Italian team 1:1 in regular time and overtime, and finally lost 4:5 in the penalty shootout and missed the quarterfinals.
In this game, the Italian team has certain advantages in ball control and offense. In the 34th minute, Appiah helped the Italian team break the deadlock. The Chinese team then struggled to find opportunities to counterattack, but failed to equalize the score in the first half.
After changing sides, the Chinese team strengthened its frontcourt offensive. In the 73rd minute, Wang Dantong kicked a high ball outside the opponent’s penalty area that seemed to be passed and shot. Italian goalkeeper Pele made a save and accidentally scored an own goal. The Chinese team chased the score to 1:1. After that, both sides failed to change the score again, and the game entered overtime.
In overtime, both teams’ physical fitness declined significantly, but they remained focused on the defensive end. After overtime, the score was still 1:1, and the game entered a penalty shootout. Italy made all five free throws. The Chinese team missed the goal with their fifth free throw and ultimately lost.
Liu Chen, captain and goalkeeper of the Chinese U20 women’s football team, said: “I hope to go back and summarize our shortcomings. We equalized the score and went to the penalty shootout. We were already great. We still have a lot of room for improvement.”
Wang Jun, the head coach of the Chinese U20 women’s football team, said that compared to the 0:2 loss of the Chinese team to the Italian team in the 2019 Adult Women’s World Cup, this game allowed people to see progress and they are proud of the women’s football girls. “After 40 days of selection, training, and competition, I think these players have done their best. This time against teams from different continents, we have shown our aggressiveness. We may still have a gap in terms of strength, but it doesn’t matter. We can take our time. This event is a signal for us to launch a counterattack.”
The Chinese team returns to the U20 Women’s World Cup after eight years in this tournament. In the group stage, the Chinese team defeated New Caledonia 5:0, drew 0:0 with Nigeria, and lost 1:3 to Spain, reaching the top 16 with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss.
In the other three top-16 matches that day, Brazil and the United States tied 1:1 in regular time and overtime. Brazil finally won the penalty shootout 5:4 (total score 6:5); Spain defeated Portugal 2:0; South Korea eliminated Argentina 1:0. In the quarter-finals, Brazil will face Spain and Italy will face South Korea.
