South Korean women's soccer finished the game against North Korea without losing a point and earned one point. If they win the remaining matches against China, they have a good chance of advancing to the semifinals as the top team in the group.
The South Korean women's soccer team, led by head coach Colin Bell, had a 0-0 draw against North Korea in the second Group B match of the second qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics at Xiamen Gret Stadium in China on the 29th.
The second Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics will be divided into three groups of four teams, with one of the best-performing teams in each group and the second-ranked team in the group gathering to play in the semifinals. The two countries that won the two semifinal matches will advance to the Olympic finals.
South Korea had a great 10-1 victory over Thailand in the second match earlier. At that time, Casey and Chun Ga-ram scored hat tricks to lead the team to a great victory. North Korea showed off its stable power by catching the host country China. It ranked second, lower than Korea, due to gains and losses. The draw kept North Korea and South Korea in the top spot.
In other groups, powerhouse Japan was tied to underdogs such as Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and India, while Australia's relatively strong teams to advance to the semifinals in a group with the Philippines, Iran, and Taiwan have already been at the forefront. However, South Korea was in a difficult situation to expect to advance to the top of the group, as it was in a group with China, a strong powerhouse, and North Korea, which is considered the strongest.
In this situation, it was important for Velho to win at least one point in the match against North Korea after winning the match against Thailand in order to advance to the Olympics. South Korean women's soccer was far behind North Korea in past matches with one win, three draws and 16 losses, so it was not easy to guarantee a point. However, as South Korea failed to win a medal in the quarterfinals of the women's soccer at the Hangzhou Asian Games by losing 1-4 to North Korea on the 30th of last month, it was also an opportunity to avenge its last defeat in this match. South Korea did not avenge North Korea with the victory, but it increased its chances of advancing to the semifinals by earning one point against the powerful North.
In South Korea, Jungmi Kim defended the goal, Choo Hyo-joo, Shim Seo-yeon, Lee Young-joo, Kim Hye-ri, and Lee Eun-young were in the defense, and Jang Seul-ki, Ji So-yeon, and Jeon Eun-ha worked together in the midfield. Casey Eugene and Chun Garam stepped up to the front line.
In North Korea, Yoo Sun-geum played as the goalkeeper. Lee Myung-geum, Lee Geum-hyang, Lee Jong-geum, and Lee Hye-kyung stood in the back four. Myung Yoo-jung, Choi Geum-ok, Lee Hak and Hong Sung-ok worked together in the midfield, while Kim Kyung-young and Seung Hyang-sim played as front two-top players.
North Korea pushed South Korea hard from the beginning of the first half. Kim Kyung-young finished the cross raised by Lee Myung-geum in the 5th minute of the first half with a right-footed shot, but it was blocked by the defense. North Korea continued to aim for the South Korean goal as Hong Sung-ok and Ri Jong-geum delivered the ball inside the penalty box.
South Korea has had a chance since the middle of the first half. In the 36th minute of the first half, Jang Seul-ki and Jeon Eun-ha took a chance through a 2-1 pass inside the penalty box, and Jang Seul-ki's last shot was caught in the defense and hit the side net.
In the 42nd minute of the first half, Cheon Garam took the opportunity through a personal breakthrough. Chun Garam penetrated from the left side of the penalty box to the center and sought an opportunity to attack, but the North Korean defense blocked it and committed a foul, giving him a free kick opportunity. Ji So-yeon's kick as a kicker was blocked by the defensive wall, and Choo Hyo-joo tried to finish it with a cross again, but it was caught in the defense and failed to lead to a shot.
North Korea also created a threatening opportunity at the end of the first half. In the extra time of the first half, Seung-hyang caught the ball that bounced off after the cross on the right side of the penalty box and attempted to pass to connect it to the center. It could have been threatening if it was connected to Rihak, who is located in the center, but Shim Seo-yeon blocked it with a tackle. In the end, the first half ended 0-0.
South Korea took the reins again from the beginning of the second half. In the second minute of the second half, Lee Eun-young advanced to the right outside the penalty box through a pass with Jang Seul-ki, and the cross flew threateningly, but was caught by Yoo Sun-geum.
North Korea also sought to score through counterattacks. In the 5th minute of the second half, when Cheon Garam's attack attempt was cut off in front of the North Korean penalty box, he advanced to the front of the South Korean penalty box through the passes of Ri Hye-kyung and Ri Hak. Since then, North Korea, which has slowly led the attack, has attempted a low-key, fast mid-range shot, but the Jungmi Kim stably blocked the ball. 스포츠토토
In the seventh minute of the second half, South Korea made a change to score in the attacking camp by removing Casey and putting Son Hwa-yeon in.
The Jungmi Kim's good defense overcame the crisis. In the 11th minute of the second half, Kim Kyung-young had a chance to shoot in front of the penalty box arc, and he did not allow a run by saving a mid-range shot he immediately tried.
South Korea also fought back. In the 17th minute of the second half, Ji So-yeon and Lee Eun-young attempted to enter the North Korean penalty box through connection from the right side of the North Korean penalty box. Lee Eun-young, who succeeded in breaking through after the throw-in, crossed, but unfortunately, it was caught by Lee Hye-kyung.
North Korea's attack was also blocked by the South Korean defense's hand-to-hand defense. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Shim Seo-yeon blocked Kim's breakthrough first. Later, Lee Young-joo blocked North Korea's pass into the penalty box.
In the 24th minute of the second half, Korea took out Eunha and Cheon Ga-ram and put in Lee Geum-min and Kang Chae-rim, even replacing them to break the path of scoring at the end of the second half. North Korea also added strength to its midfield by excluding Rihak and putting in Ju Hyo-sim.
Lee Geum-min, who was replaced, tried to create opportunities through direct breakthrough. In the 29th minute of the second half, Lee Geum-min broke through the North Korean defense and advanced to the front of the penalty box arc, but at the last breakthrough moment, he was caught in a tackle by the defense running behind him and failed to record a shot. In the 35th minute of the second half, after Lee Eun-young's cross inside the penalty box, Son Hwa-yeon grabbed the ball and tried to shoot, but immediately got caught in Lee Hye-kyung's leg and failed to head to the goal.
North Korea kept knocking on South Korea's goal with crosses and mid-range shots. Joo Hyo-sim's cross came up to the gate in the 36th minute of the second half, but Lee Young-joo cleared it, and Lee Jong-geum finished the bounced ball with a mid-range shot, which was caught by Jungmi Kim. Since then, the two teams' scores did not come out until the end of the second half, and the game ended 0-0.
Meanwhile, South Korea is scheduled to play the third round of the second qualifying round against China on November 1 after the draw against North Korea. South Korea is losing five wins, seven draws and 29 losses, including nine recent matches (three draws and six losses) against China. The national team, which had a draw against North Korea, is expected to be able to advance to the semifinals as the top of the group if it wins the match against China.