Lack of discipline, finishing touch cost Korea in group stage
Korea's Lee Geum-min reacts following her team's 2-1 loss following the Women's World Cup Group match between Norway and Korea at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, Monday. AP
On the eve of South Korea's final group match against Norway at the FIFA Women's World Cup, head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said the game may well determine the future course of women's football in the country.
And after South Korea bowed out of the tournament with three straight losses, the last being a 2-1 defeat to Norway that sealed their fate on Monday, the message is clear.
They have a lot of work to do.
In terms of world rankings, South Korea, at No. 14, were the third highest in Group A, behind France (No. 4) and Norway (No. 12) but ahead of Nigeria (No. 38). On paper, they should have been reasonably competitive. But it wasn't the case on the field, as South Korea allowed eight goals while scoring just one themselves.
South Korea were dealt a major blow in net even before the tournament began. Yoon Young-geul, a starting goalkeeper since early 2018, underwent a knee operation earlier this year that ruled her out of the tournament. Kim Jung-mi, a veteran of the 2015 World Cup, was in line to take over as the No. 1 custodian, but she suffered an Achilles tendon injury on May 2, only five days before the final training camp opened.
Yoon scrambled to find alternatives from the shallow goalkeeping pool. And Kim Min-jung, an unproven 22-year-old with all of two caps before the World Cup, earned the starting job in France.
Kim was hung out to dry in a 4-0 loss to France in the opening match on June 7. South Korea put just one shot on target while France fired eight shots on the helpless goalkeeper.
South Korea showed more life on offense against Nigeria five days later, but still failed to get on the board. They were hurt by some unfortunate bounces, as defender Kim Do-yeon was charged with an own goal and forward Lee Geum-min was called for an offside on a potential equalizer. South Korea outshot Nigeria 7-2 but lacked the finishing touch in the attacking third.
South Korea played their best game against Norway on Monday but still suffered their third straight loss.
Some undisciplined plays were their biggest undoing in their last match. Needing a lopsided win just to have a chance at squeezing into the knockout round, South Korea instead went down a goal only four minutes in, after captain Cho So-hyun was booked for a foul in the area. Caroline Graham Hansen converted the ensuing penalty.
South Korea had to play catch-up the rest of the way. Though the early Norway goal ― the fastest goal scored at this year's tournament so far ― seemed to have been a wakeup call for South Korea, the Taeguk Ladies continued to have trouble finishing chances around the net.
They ended up taking 23 shot attempts compared to Norway's eight, and Yeo Min-ji's 78th-minute score ended up being South Korea's only goal of the match and of the tournament.
The second Norway goal was particularly deflating for South Korea, coming as it did only five minutes into the second half when they were trying to build on the momentum from the first half. Midfielder Kang Chae-rim committed a reckless foul on Graham Hansen in the box. Isabell Herlovsen scored on the spot kick this time for a 2-0 Norway lead, and South Korea never recovered.
South Korea will need to go through some transition and usher in fresher legs for veterans such as Cho So-hyun and Ji So-yun, the two biggest faces of South Korean women's football who will be well into their 30s by the next World Cup in 2023.
Among the younger core, Yeo Min-ji and Lee Geum-min, who won the 2010 U-17 World Cup title together, had a solid tournament in France and should continue to grow into more prominent roles as they reach their late 20s. Goalkeeper Kim Min-jung acquitted herself well under the circumstances here and the starting job moving forward should be hers to lose. (Yonhap)