With his team's back against the wall at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, South Korea head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Tuesday he may start an ailing forward to give his offense a shot in the arm.
On the eve of South Korea's must-win Group E match against Spain in Ottawa, Yoon said at the pre-match press conference that Park Eun-sun, who has missed the past two matches while nursing an ankle injury, could get into the starting lineup.
"I believe Park can make a positive impact on our squad," Yoon said at Lansdowne Stadium in the Canadian capital. The two countries will clash here at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Park is South Korea's tallest player at 182 centimeters and is also one of its most lethal attackers with 17 goals in 32 matches. Yoon is hoping Park can team up with another star attacker, Ji So-yun, to provide some much-needed spark up front.
South Korea lost to Brazil 2-0 to open the group stage and then allowed an 89th-minute equalizer to settle for a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica, the only country ranked below South Korea in Group E.
South Korea, ranked 18th, now must defeat the 14th-ranked Spain to have a chance to reach the next round. The top two countries from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-place teams, will qualify for the round of 16.
Brazil leads the group with six points, followed by Costa Rica with two, and Spain and South Korea with one each. Spain is ahead on goal differential.
"It's win or go home for us tomorrow," Yoon added. "We'll make sure Park can find her groove after our final practice today."
Yoon said his players at first had a tough time recovering mentally after coming so close to beating Costa Rica, but they have mostly gotten over it.
"I could see on their faces that they've been feeling better about themselves the past couple of days," the coach added. "I think this will have a huge influence on tomorrow's match."
Yoon said Spain as a team is bigger than his squad and South Korea will have to play smart football to get an edge.
"I don't think it's going to help us trying to match their strength," he said. "Basically, we will have to rely on quick passes. By now, the players fully understand why we've been training so hard for so long. The sweat and tears we've shed won't go to waste." (Yonhap)