It’s definitely “hope torture,” but it’s necessary. The South Korean women’s national soccer team is in danger of being eliminated from the group stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023, but their hopes of reaching the round of 16 are alive. Of course, they need to win their final group game against Germany by at least five goals. Still without a goal or a win in the tournament, the chances of South Korea scoring multiple goals are slim, but the team has been practicing shooting drills in hopes of scoring one.
Women’s National Team head coach Colleen Bell focused on goal practice during an hour-long training session at Campbelltown Sports Stadium outside Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 31, especially for “young bloods” Casey Eugene Fair (16-PDA), Bae Ye-bin (19-Widok University), Chun Garam (21-Hwacheon KSPO) and Kang Chae-rim (25-Incheon Hyundai Steel). Coach Bell instructed the strikers to finish with a shot as soon as they received the ball.
“Finish, finish, finish,” Bell shouted. Chun and Paer sprinted toward the goal and fired a powerful shot. The two had come on as second-half substitutes in the second group game against Morocco the day before and rattled the Moroccan defense with bold plays that their older sisters lacked. Chun used her quick feet to break into the penalty area and hit a mid-range shot, while the strongly physical pair scored with a quick shot after a counterattack inside the penalty box. South Korea will look to freshen things up with younger players in the third match against Germany on March 3.
For South Korea to advance to the round of 16, they will need to beat Germany by at least five goals and for Group H leader Colombia (W6, G3) to catch third-place Morocco (W3, G5). Second-ranked Germany (W3, G5) has a goal difference advantage, having thrashed Morocco 6-0 in the first leg. A four-goal win would equalize their goal differential at +1, but would eliminate South Korea. South Korea is the only team in the group that hasn’t found the back of the net while sitting at the bottom of the table (0 points, -3 goals for).
They had plenty of offensive chances, especially against Morocco, but were unable to capitalize. They were awarded six corners and 14 free kicks, but had a 0% success rate on set pieces. Against Colombia in the first group game, they had three corners and 13 free kicks to no avail. On the other hand, Colombia’s upset win over Germany, the second-ranked “favorite” in the FIFA rankings, came from a set piece. Colombia’s Manuela Banegas (Real Sociedad) scored a header from a corner kick in second-half stoppage time. 먹튀검증
Germany is strong, but there are gaps. Germany’s left fullback Caroline Simone (Bayern Munich) suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in an exhibition match against Zambia just before the tournament. Felicitas Rauch (Wolfsburg) took her place, but Rauch was also ruled out indefinitely after injuring her right knee in training against Morocco. Therefore, midfielder Chantal Hagl (Wolfsburg) took over the defense for the second game against Colombia. “The left flank is likely to be Germany’s Achilles’ heel, as Hagl is not only inexperienced in defense but also in A-match play,” FIFA said.