“We will not back down against a tough Colombia team. We will come out strong.”
‘South Korea Women’s National Team ace’ Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC Wimin) has expressed her determination to get the first win of the tournament against Colombia on Friday.
Ji-So-yeon was referring to Colombia’s opening exhibition game against Ireland in Australia, where the game was stopped after 20 minutes due to rough play. “I was a little surprised to see that the Irish players stopped the game after 20 minutes even though they are a physically strong team, and when we played the Netherlands in an unofficial game, the Dutch players told us to be careful,” she said. “But it’s a game we can’t back down from. We’re going to come out strong,” he concluded. “There’s VAR, and I think we’re going to have to go out there somewhat prepared to be beaten. We have to expect them to harass us, and we have to be prepared to get hit,” he emphasized. “We have to be ready to fight back. When we get hit, we’ll be smart and when we get hit, we’ll be tough.” “We can’t be surprised by Colombia’s strong start. The first 20 minutes are crucial. We’ve always seen that against strong teams, we falter in the first 20 minutes, and against Colombia, we have to be strong and never lose momentum,” he reiterated. “After that, if they start to run out of steam, we need to be ready to attack with precision.”
South Korea, who were in Group A and opened against France at the World Cup in France, are in the last group of the tournament, Group H, and have been watching a different group every evening. “We’re the last group, so I’m nervous and excited for each day. I’m excited and worried about how we’ll look after the game,” said Ji. “Everyone is so much stronger physically than four years ago. A lot of other teams have stepped up in general. You only have to look at New Zealand’s win over Norway to see that,” he said. “You could tell that New Zealand had prepared a lot. It was a reminder of the truth that soccer can bring victory when a team comes together with that kind of hunger.” Regarding the steep rise of women’s soccer in the world and the global growth of the sport, Ji said, “I’ve been very aware of it since I was in the English league, of course. It doesn’t surprise me at all.”
She also made it clear that 17th-ranked South Korea is by no means outclassed by FIFA’s 25th-ranked Colombia or 75th-ranked Morocco. 안전놀이터 “People who don’t follow women’s soccer for a long time think that Colombia and Morocco are not as good as us because of the rankings, but they are tough teams. It’s just that the rankings don’t change because they don’t play A matches,” he explained. “Colombia is ranked 25th, but they are a team that can pose a threat to the top teams and they are ready. “Colombia is a country with a very strong spirit, even in the South American culture and environment,” he added.
When FIFA and the rest of the world talk about the Korean Women’s National Team’s ace, the three letters Ji-So-yeon are not missing. At the World Cup, she wears the Korean flag on her cleats.