Despite a perfect historical record, the Chinese women's football team remains cautious: Victory over Chinese Taipei secures World Cup qualification, with injuries being the only variable.

Written by Wang Wei and Han Bing. At 1 PM Beijing time on March 14, the Chinese women's football team will compete against Chinese Taipei at Perth's rectangular stadium. The victor will progress to the semifinals of this Women's Asian Cup and secure direct qualification for the 2027 Brazil Women's World Cup. In the pre-match press conference, Chinese head coach Milicic encouraged his team to maintain composure and confidence, focusing on each match to strive for excellent outcomes.

Historical records show 26 encounters between the Chinese women's football team and Chinese Taipei. China has won all matches with a goal difference of 87 to 2. In the Asian Cup, they have met six times, with China winning all six without conceding a goal. Their most recent Asian Cup clash was in 2022, where China won 4-0. In the 2025 East Asian Cup, China secured a 4-2 victory. Despite this psychological advantage, the Chinese team cannot afford complacency; instead, they must respect their opponent and maintain focus and confidence in the knockout stage.

On March 13, Milicic stated at the press conference that after achieving three consecutive wins in Sydney, the team moved to Perth, and he expressed satisfaction with the team atmosphere and players' attitude.

Regarding Chinese Taipei, Milicic noted that the two teams faced each twice last year, but "the opponent has undergone significant changes over the year, with a new coach, altered formation and tactics, showing some improvement. However, as mentioned before, we focus on ourselves. We believe that better execution on the field will lead to good performance, and we hope to win this match," Milicic said.

Before the tournament, Milicic stated the team's goal is to reach the final. He acknowledged the immense pressure of coaching the Chinese women's football team and once again felt that pressure. He said he senses the external expectations for the team, "The demands and pressure from outside do not exceed the pressure I impose on myself. I will do my best, not only for myself but for the entire team. Looking back at our preparation, we believe it will yield results and lead to success."

Milicic also discussed his experience leading the Australian women's team in 2019, "At that time, with only five months before the World Cup, it was somewhat challenging. Previously, I coached men's teams; coaching women's football was a challenge. Expectations for the Chinese women's team are higher, and the pressure is greater, but the greatest pressure was when I was a player."

Forward Wu Chenshu, who attended the press conference with Milicic, stated that after defeating North Korea in the group stage, the team's cohesion further strengthened, "We need to be more focused in the upcoming knockout matches and perform well in every game."

Currently, the Chinese women's team faces some injury issues. During training on March 12, starting goalkeeper Chen Chen sustained a knee injury. Milicic indicated it was not severe but emphasized that player health is the top priority, "We have two other goalkeepers ready to step in."

The other two goalkeepers are Peng Shimeng and Zhu Yu, the latter being the key starter and contributor in the previous Asian Cup.

Additionally, Chen Qiaozhu suffered a foot injury in the match against North Korea and is training with the team with bandages. Tang Jiali, with a leg strain, is limited to slow running and individual training.

If they defeat Chinese Taipei, the Chinese women's team will reach the semifinals and qualify for the Women's World Cup. However, Milicic's target is to advance to the final.

"There will be pressure, but if we remain calm, confident, and focused on preparation, we will achieve ideal results," Milicic expressed hope for a good performance against Chinese Taipei and to progress further.

Chinese Taipei recorded two wins and one loss in the group stage, including a narrow 0-2 defeat to top favorite Japan in the first match, followed by victories over Vietnam and India to advance.

Chinese Taipei's head coach is Chakmol, a Thai assistant coach who took over last September. The players mainly come from two women's clubs: New Taipei Hang Yuan and Taichung Blue Whale. Against strong teams, they primarily employ a 5-4-1 formation. Su Xin-yun and Chen Ying-hui are defensive pillars, Su Yu-xuan is the attacking spearhead, supported by Chen Yu-jie and Chen Jin-wen on the wings.

For the Chinese women's team, three players from the opponent warrant attention.

The first is star player Su Yu-xuan, who previously played for Okayama Yunogo Belle in Japan and currently plays for Hangzhou Women's FC, winning the Women's First Division Golden Boot in 2023. During last year's Asian Cup qualifiers, she scored in three consecutive matches, and she also scored against China in last year's East Asian Cup. In this Asian Cup, she missed the first match but started and scored against India and Vietnam, scoring the decisive goal against Vietnam.

The second is midfielder Xu Yi-jun, who had a stint in Europe in 2019, joining Moldavo in the Belgian league, making her one of the rare players with European experience in the squad.

The third is naturalized midfielder Matsunaga Saki, of Chinese-Japanese descent. Born in Japan, she started playing at age three and previously played for Ehime FC Women in Japan. Her dream is to participate in the World Cup, but with no hope of joining Japan's team, she chose to naturalize for Chinese Taipei earlier this year. Matsunaga Saki significantly enhances Chinese Taipei's midfield strength.

At the pre-match press conference, Coach Chakmol acknowledged the difficulty of challenging the defending champion but stated this is an excellent opportunity for Chinese Taipei to strive for their second World Cup participation. Currently, the team's preparation is ideal, with players recovering quickly physically and adapting well.

Regarding the Chinese women's team, Chakmol noted their pace is faster than last year, with many talented players added, making the overall squad very strong. He even compared China to Japan. In that match, Chinese Taipei used a 5-4-1 formation, successfully holding off Japan without conceding in the first half, boosting morale. They might replicate that approach with some adjustments, "I believe the team will perform well."