Colleen Belho cuts the first tape as she looks to reach the Women’s World Cup round of 16 for the first time in eight years. The opponent is Colombia, a team they must beat to reach their goal.
The South Korea women’s national football team (17th in FIFA rankings), led by head coach Colleen Bell, will take on Colombia (25th) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Friday at 11 a.m. (KST) in the first match of Group H at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
The team is aiming to advance out of the group stage for the first time in eight years since the 2015 tournament in Canada, and a win against Colombia is essential.
South Korea is drawn with powerhouse Germany, ranked No. 2 in the FIFA rankings, so it’s crucial for them to take all three points against Colombia to advance to the round of 16.
We are ranked 17th and Colombia 25th, but the Colombians are a formidable opponent, having finished as Copa America runners-up last year.
Colombia is a very physical team. They are very physical and rough. Their offense is centered around their physicality, with the likes of Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid), who was born in 2005.
On March 15, an exhibition game against Ireland in Australia was called off 20 minutes after kickoff due to Colombia’s rough play. The Irish Football Association explained at the time that “due to concerns about further injuries, the decision was made to abandon the match.”
South Korea’s strategy against Colombia is solid. The plan is to use their physical strength and speed, which have been honed through the “high-intensity training” program that Bell has implemented since his arrival.
The Taeguknangs were assembled at Paju NFC ahead of the tournament, where they trained intensely to prepare themselves for 90 minutes of uninterrupted play.
It was also in consideration of the fictionalized Colombia that South Korea chose Haiti for its World Cup qualifier on Aug. 8.
South Korea won 2-1 in Haiti, but struggled against a physical and physical opponent in the first half. After struggling with heavy pressure in the early stages of the game, Korea managed to pull off the upset in the second half by actively pushing their opponents through their physical advantage.
Bell, who departed for Australia via Incheon Airport on the 10th, plans to put everything he had prepared into the match against Colombia.
“Winning the first game is the most important,” Bell said. “Even if we win against Colombia, it doesn’t guarantee us a spot in the round of 16. The first game is very important,” he emphasized. The players are equally determined.
This will be the last tournament for the so-called “golden generation,” who finished third at the 2010 U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany and won the U17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago the same year. 메이저사이트
South Korea will rely on experienced veterans Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC), Cho So-hyun (Tottenham Hotspur), Kim Hye-ri (Incheon Hyundai Steel) and Park Eun-sun (Seoul Metropolitan Government).
“Our goal is to win the first match against Colombia,” said Cho So-hyun, who is playing in her third World Cup. “All of the players have played a lot of A matches and have a lot of experience. We are determined to get a good result.”
South Korea, who are in Group H, will play their first game against Colombia on the 25th, followed by Morocco on the 30th, and then Morocco on the 3rd of next month.