It’s too early to give up. It’s only ‘one loss’.
Colleen Bell’s 17th-ranked South Korea lost 0-2 to 25th-ranked Colombia in the first leg of their Group H match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia on Monday (June 25).
South Korea controlled the game until midway through the first half. However, they fell behind in the 30th minute when a handling foul by Shim Seo-yeon gave Catalina Usme the penalty kick (PK) lead. They conceded another goal in the 38th minute when goalkeeper Yoon Young-gul failed to catch a shot from Linda Caseido in front of her. South Korea tried to fight back, but Colombia’s intense pressure and physicality prevented them from creating any significant chances.
After failing to break the Women’s World Cup ‘first game lost and scoreless’ jinx, South Korea sits in third place in the group behind Germany and Colombia. Earlier in the day, Germany moved to the top of Group H with a 6-0 win over Morocco in their first match. Morocco dropped to last place.
South Korea, which chanted “win no matter what” against Colombia, was left in shock. Earlier, Bell said at the kickoff, “It’s important to win the first game of the group stage. We are focusing on Colombia as much as possible and are only thinking about winning. After beating Colombia, we will prepare for the next step,” emphasizing the importance of the game against Colombia.
Korea played against Haiti, a “virtual Colombia,” in the send-off ceremony and evaluation match. At that time, Korea conceded the first goal to Haiti’s physical offense, but they regrouped and won the game with goals from Ji So-yeon and Jang Seul-ki. However, Colombia, who they faced in the main stage of the World Cup, were a cut above Haiti. Not only did they have the physicality that was feared, but they also outplayed Korea in every aspect, including individual skills, passing, and game management. 먹튀검증