Wu Haiyan of China (L) vies with Cristiana Girelli of Italy during the round of 16 match between Italy and China at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in Montpellier, France, June 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Xu)
By Sportswriter Yao Youming
XI'AN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Fans were heartbroken as China's "Steel Roses" bid an early, tearful farewell to the 2019 FIFA World Cup journey on Tuesday.
Chinese women's football team was knocked out by Italy 2-0 in the last 16 round of women's World Cup, failing to reach the quarterfinal stage. Chinese players, including Paris Saint-German star Wang Shuang, burst into tears after the final whistle.
"Chinese women football has rapidly declined in recent years. What has gone wrong? We all need to reflect on this," said a user named "Ma Jingdiao" on China's football news app Dongqiudi.
Chinese women's football team grabbed the silver medal at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999, earning the nickname the "Steel Roses." They made the last eight in the 2015 FIFA WWC and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
During Rio Olympics in 2016, former Chinese women football team manager Yu Hongchen was confident in the team and told Xinhua that the team would do better in 2019 FIFA WWC.
"The Chinese women's football team has had three head coaches in the last three years. The squad isn't stable enough and our girls don't have a lot of routines," said a fan surnamed Chen on Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.
"Head coach Jia Xiuquan's tactics are too simple and his wrong decision of not bringing talents such as Ren Guixin to France made Chinese players unable to create good chances when facing stronger and taller rivals," said the Dongqiudi user "Wu Sanshi."
According to China's overall reform plan to boost the football development revealed in 2015, the mid-term goal for the "Steel Roses" is to go back to the first group in the world.
While some fans are pessimistic about the chances of a resurgence for the "Steel Roses," some supporters say that they will "bloom" again sooner or later.
"Our FA should take measures to attract more girls to play football. If we could have good fields and coaches and millions of registered women footballers, we will become a powerhouse in women's football," said a Weibo user named Shuineng.
