Unbeaten women triumph in Norway from buzai232's blog

Putuo District women’s soccer team returned victorious from an international tournament in Norway without losing a match. The 13 players, from the Shanghai Meilong Middle School, known as the “cradle of women’s soccer players,” overwhelmed the Under-13 group in the Norwegian Cup International Youth Soccer Invitational Tournament in Oslo. The team won all the seven games during the 7-a-side tournament, scoring an incredible 61 goals, while conceding only one in the process. In the group stage the girls thrashed their opponents: 11-0, 11-0 and 10-0 to progress to the knock-out stage where they recorded 9-0, 6-0 and 7-0 wins. In the final a 7-1 scoreline was recorded. During the game, Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, visited the Putuo women’s soccer team and gave the players a pep talk.

Solberg knew the players and coach from an official visit to China in April, where she invited the team to take part in the tournament. With the support of the Putuo District government and the district’s education and sports bureau, the players used the victory to return the host’s hospitality, said coach Qian Hui. The “Norway Cup” is a major sports event held in Oslo every July and August. This year’s tournament had over 3,000 games, with thousands of players, both male and female, aged between 5 and 19, from around the world taking part. “The event is like a grand festival for Norwegian people who came to celebrate and cheer the players on,” Qian said. “It was a valuable opportunity for the Putuo football team to compete against their European counterparts. We hope we can have another chance next year.”