Chinese striker Tang Jiali's long wait for her first goal as a member of Tottem Hotspur ended Wednesday as her club defeated Charlton 1-0 at the Hive Stadium.

"I have been waiting for this goal for a long time," said Tang. "I believe scoring it marked the real start of me playing overseas."

It took a weight off her shoulders and served as proof that Tang has improved her chemistry with the rest of the team. But she wants to do better. When asked to name the biggest difference between the Women's Super League in England and the Chinese Women's Super League, Tang gave a simple, direct answer: pace.

"There are a lot of differences in games but the biggest one is that the game here is much faster. It's a lot more physical too. Perhaps because players have better physical conditioning, so their game is more open," Tang told The Paper. "Faster pace means there will be a lot of first touches and long passes. You must be in your defensive position immediately after your opponents have the ball. There's no time for a break. Corner kicks are done very quickly."

In order to match the speed and physicality of the games, Hotspur arranged extra training sessions for Tang to enhance her athleticism and strength, especially in her upper body.

"They measure your dashing distances every day to see how much you have sprinted every session," said Tang. "If you don't do enough, you will have extra work after practice. You must meet the standard, so I do more dashing at full speed during practice."

As one of the few Chinese players in a foreign club, Tang carries great expectations from fans. There will be local Chinese fans and students attending her games and cheering for her.

"I want to do better and achieve more but right now I will take my steps. First I need to earn the trust of my teammates and manager. Then I want to acquire a spot in the main rotation before becoming a core member," Tang told The Paper.

Many fans were disappointed that Tang did not participate in the Tokyo Olympics. She told The Paper she definitely wants to play for China at international events. "I'm now here (in England) and there are international game breaks; I should be able to return to the national team. If I need to attend long-term training programs, I will discuss it with the club."