AFC Women's Champions League
Going into the match with the added pressure of being host of the Finals, Chang was happy to see goals from Wang Shuang (34th) and Song Duan (54th) sealing their progress, with Australia's Melbourne City FC their opponents on Saturday.
#AWCL | Semi-final - Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (CHN) 2 - 0 Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (VIE)
“First I would like to thank the fans who came to the stadium, their presence gave us a lot of motivation,” said Chang.
“We won because we were united and worked hard for the victory. We felt the pressure and I’m happy the team handled it well.
“We will prepare even better for the next match. This match is now done and all our focus will be on the final. Hopefully we can all work together to achieve our target.”
The hot temperature at Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium made it difficult for both sets of players, another obstacle which Chang felt his side dealt well with although an injury to defender Song Fei in added time was a setback.
“With the weather today being in the 30s (degrees), it was a difficult game to play for everyone. Both teams lost a lot of energy. We, the coaching staff, want to complete this competition without injuries.
“She (Song) got a knock and experienced cramps as well as a headache. I don’t think it’s a big issue but we will do all the necessary checks,” he added.
Ho Chi Minh City head coach Lu Dinh Tuan appreciated the effort of his players but felt that his team should have capitalised on a better second half showing after an insipid start to the match.
“We lost by two goals and in the first half we tried not to make mistakes but we made one which allowed the Wuhan number 7 (Wang Shuang) to score,” said Lu.
“In the second half, we played better but couldn’t take our chances, in the end, they scored with a shot from distance. Like I said before, this match was going to be won by the team that took their chances and we couldn’t do that.
“I want to congratulate Wuhan for reaching the final. I also want to thank our players for a wonderful match despite the weather conditions and playing away against the host.”
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