"We went through a hard, 130-day training camp. In each day's training session we covered over 10,000 meters. We were more than ready for the playoff and when we went out there, we were able to get the better of them," said ace striker Wang Shuang of the Chinese women's national football team after the game against South Korea on Tuesday.

That part of Wang's interview was included in FIFA's latest "The Week in Quotes," which collects interview highlights of both players and managers about major football competitions every week.

Wang was the unquestioned hero for China in the second-leg game of the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament against South Korea on Tuesday. When her team were struggling in the desperate situation of trailing 2-0, Wang opened the door to Tokyo for the Chinese women's team almost on her own.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency after the game, Wang shared the story behind the curtain during the 120 minutes of competition.

Wang said she began to tremble inside when China trailed in the first half, but the home fans' support gave her power.

The 2-0 score set up a life-and-death battle for China, but the team had been ready for that for a long time. During the 130 days of preparation, the players attended two sessions a day and had a half-day break every three days. They only rested for two hours after returning home from the first-leg game in South Korea and then started training again.

Wang recalled that manager Jia Xiuquan often had them play for 120 minutes during team scrimmages. Sometimes, they even played 150 minutes, which meant a player could run 17,000 meters or so. "I felt I was almost paralyzed on the field," said Wang. "There's almost no offense or defense anymore. Manager Jia called it off because he worried some of us might get hurt."

"Those were the toughest days for us and they're already over. What's trailing 2-0 compared with that? We must go back to the field and give everything we have in practice." That was the mindset for Chinese players during the halftime break. "Chinese players have what it takes to come back and win."

When the game was over, everyone was hugging and cheering for Wang, calling her a hero. But Wang kept saying: "We are all heroes!"

"I am grateful that I'm on such a wonderful team with such a great coaching staff," said Wang. "That's where our confidence and resilience come from. We did this together and one person can't take credit. Everyone on our team is a star. We couldn't have made the Tokyo Olympics without everyone."

The past two years have been rough for Wang. She did not meet fans' expectations with her performance in the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019; she came back to the Chinese league from Paris Saint-Germain; there was also the possibility for her to miss the qualifying tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, when Tuesday's game came to an end, all the anxiety, stress and worries on Wang's mind were gone.

"Manager Jia knows what I have gone through in the two years," said Wang. "He has been encouraging me, spurring me to put forth effort, giving me confidence and helping me pull myself out of the slump."

When asked how she feels right now, Wang used the word "solid." "Now I'm back with the team. I can see myself make progress every day. I feel so satisfied and happy."