Chinese star Wang Shuang steered her team, Wuhan Jiangda, to a convincing 2-0 victory against East Bengal, scoring a brace in their AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage match in Wuhan, China, on Thursday.
Wuhan Jiangda, last season’s Champions League winner, drew 1-1 with Uzbek side Nasa in its opening group stage match. In their next outing against Indian champion East Bengal, Wang Shuang stood out by scoring once from open play and once from the penalty spot.
Wuhan Jiangda started strongly, pressing forward from the start. Within eight minutes, Shuang scored after receiving a cross from Song Fei and steering the ball past Panthoi Chanu.
Up against a women’s football heavyweight, East Bengal chose to strengthen the rearguard, but another defensive error cost it dearly.
Panthoi’s late challenge on Shuang saw the forward go down, and referee Kim Yu Jeong pointed to the spot.
Shuang, an Asian Games silver medallist and a four-time Chinese Women’s Footballer of the Year, used all her experience, sending Panthoi to the wrong side, doubling the lead.
The win helped Wuhan Jiangda climb to the top of its group stage standings with four points from two matches, while East Bengal is second with three points after two rounds after second round. They need at least a draw against Nasaf in their next match on 23rd November to ensure a berth in the quarterfinals.
