South Korea (17th in the world), led by head coach Colin Bell (62), lost 0-1 in the second Group H match of the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup against Morocco (72nd) at Adelaide Hindmarsh Stadium in Australia on the 30th. In the 6th minute of the first half, he allowed a side cross after losing his ownership due to opposition pressure, and Morocco’s Yvesam Zredi (31), who was in the penalty box, overcame the competition with Hong Hye-ji (27, Incheon Hyundai Steel) and scored a diving header. Since then, South Korea has accelerated its attack, but in the end, no goal has not been scored.
The second match between Germany (2nd) and Colombia (25th) in Group H will be held at 6:30 p.m. Even if Germany wins or draws against Colombia, South Korea will be eliminated early.
Before the competition, Group H was classified as “one of the two in the first round.” In this tournament, the first and second places in the group will compete in the tournament, with Germany advancing to the round of 16 and South Korea and Colombia competing for the remaining one. However, following the defeat to Colombia on the 25th, South Korea also knelt down to its must-have opponent, Morocco. Rather, it became the first World Cup goal in Morocco’s history. Morocco, the first Arab country to compete in the Women’s World Cup, lost 0-6 in the first round against Germany.
South Korea aggressively stepped up as it predicted on the day. Coach Bell started striker Park Eun-sun (37, Seoul City Hall) on the same day. Park Eun-sun is 182 centimeters tall and has in mind the competition for aerial balls in the opponent’s penalty box. In fact, South Korea continued its offensive training by conducting various experiments with Park Eun-sun in front of the Australian training ground. Park Eun-sun received the ball with her head from the front line and handed it over to her teammate, and in the 26th minute of the first half, Ji So-yeon (32, Suwon FC) connected the ball from the side with a diving header. However, it was also regrettable that the pass was delivered incorrectly.
South Korea, which allowed the first goal early, rushed to attack and raised the line higher. Jang Seul-ki (29, Incheon Hyundai Steel) on the left and Choo Hyo-joo (23, Suwon FC) on the right side exchanged defense and attacks from the side, and South Korea gave up space behind and allowed Sakina Uzrawe (22) and Fatima Tagnaut (24) to cross one after another. There was also a threatening scene that passed right in front of the Korean goal. South Korea’s defensive organization was also unstable, as it missed the opponent’s running movement.
Korea emphasized “high intensity” before the competition. Coach Bell’s high-intensity training was aimed at “not being pushed back until the end by meeting opponents from various countries with various physical conditions.” However, Korea has repeatedly struggled under pressure from Morocco. The ball was taken away by the opponent’s physical fight, and the cross was blocked by the defense. In the second half, Casey Eugene Fair (16, PDA), Choi Yu-ri (29, Incheon Hyundai Steel) and Jang Seul-ki attacked one after another, but they lacked goal accuracy.
In the end, Korea failed to report its second World Cup victory. South Korea, which has played a total of four World Cups, has played 12 games and has only one win (1 draw and 10 losses). The only World Cup victory was against Spain (2-1 win) in the group stage of the 2015 tournament. Korean residents who visited the local stadium shouted “Korea” and “I can do it, Korea” until the end, but ended up losing the game.