The Chinese media are saluting a new sporting superstar after Wang Shanshan completed an astounding feat of bulk goal-scoring for the China Women’s team earlier this week.
Dubbed the ‘Nine-Goal Diva” in subsequent press reports, Wang helped herself to – you guessed it – nine goals in China’s 16-0 drubbing of Tajikistan at the Asian Games in Indonesia.
What’s more, she did so without even starting the match, coming off the bench to score all nine goals in the space of 29 second-half minutes.
FT: TJK 🇹🇯 0 – 16 🇨🇳 CHN
China continue their fine form with an emphatic win over Tajikistan thus confirming their place into the #AsianGames2018 Knockout Stage! pic.twitter.com/sKIVhaUuUC
— AFC (@theafcdotcom) 20 August 2018
The dominant victory put a fitting cap to China’s group stage campaign, in which they finished top of Group B with three wins from three games and not a single goal conceded.
Individually, Wang’s tournament tally stands at 11 goals in three appearances, having also struck in an opening 7-0 win over Hong Kong then again in a 2-0 win over a much-fancied North Korea team.
Even if she withdrew from the squad before the quarter-finals (where China will face Thailand), there’s every likelihood Wang would still end up claiming the Golden Boot.
Not a bad attempt, in anybody’s book.