On October 8th at Wuhan Sports Center, with a last-minute goal by young player Jiang Chenjing in the 89th minute, Wuhan Chegu Jiangda Women’s Football Team defeated the Oceania champions Auckland United Women’s Football Team 1-0, achieving a perfect start in the inaugural International Women’s Football Champions Cup.
This was not just a 90-minute battle, but the writing of a new chapter in history. The significance of this victory goes far beyond the score—it acts like a multifaceted prism, reflecting the spiritual continuity of a team, illuminating the breakthrough dawn of Chinese women’s football, and etching the determined footsteps of a “football city.”
Tradition Lifts the Opening Victory
On October 8th, Wuhan Sports Center welcomed 32,318 fans. Following the Women’s AFC Champions League final in May this year, this number once again broke the home attendance record for Wuhan women’s football team history.
Throughout the match, cheers never ceased. Even when the game remained deadlocked with no breakthrough until the second half, chants of “Jiangda must win” still resounded through the stadium. However, the massive fan base held its breath twice, with tens of thousands of eyes fixed on the gestures of the main referee.
In the 73rd minute, Song Duan made a long pass from the right wing, Wang Shuang received the ball and shot into the net, sending the entire stadium into celebration; but VAR intervened and ruled it offside, turning cheers into sighs instantly. Finally, in the 89th minute, substitute Jiang Chenjing pushed the ball into the net, but the assistant referee raised the flag for offside. VAR overturned the call again—when the referee pointed to the center circle, mountain-like cheers finally erupted.
Jiang Chenjing raised her arms in triumph, while Wang Shuang ran toward her from behind. Two generations of Wuhan football daughters embraced tightly.
The Wuhan Sports Center is a major multi-purpose stadium complex that opened in 2002. It was notably a central venue for the 2019 Military World Games and later served as a crucial temporary hospital, or “Fangcang shelter hospital,” during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.
International Women’s Football Champions Cup
The International Women’s Football Champions Cup is an invitational pre-season club tournament for top women’s teams, first held in the United States in 2023. It was created to provide high-level competition and increase the global profile of women’s club football, featuring champions and leading clubs from leagues around the world.
Women’s AFC Champions League
The Women’s AFC Champions League is the premier continental club competition for women’s football in Asia, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was officially launched in 2023, evolving from its predecessor, the AFC Women’s Club Championship, which had been held as an invitational tournament since 2019. This new league system was established to professionalize and elevate the women’s club game across the continent.
Wuhan Chegu Jiangda Women’s Football Team
The Wuhan Chegu Jiangda Women’s Football Team is a professional women’s football club based in Wuhan, China. It was historically known as Wuhan Jianghan University before being rebranded in 2021 through a partnership with the Chegu group and Jiangda Industrial Group. The club has become one of the top teams in the Chinese Women’s Super League, winning its first national championship in 2023.
Auckland United Women’s Football Team
The Auckland United Women’s Football Team is a New Zealand women’s association football club based in Auckland. While the specific founding date of the women’s team is not widely documented, the club itself has a long history, having been originally established as Three Kings United before rebranding to Auckland United in 2021. The team competes in the top-tier National Women’s League, showcasing and developing elite female football talent in the region.
Wansongyuan Road Primary School
Wansongyuan Road Primary School is a modern educational institution located in Beijing, China. While specific historical details about its founding are not widely documented, it serves as a typical example of China’s public primary education system, providing foundational education to children in its local community.
