1-2 defeat in Korea-Japan match in defense disappointment… ‘Ace’ Ji So-yeon scores with her individual skill
The women’s soccer team suffered a loss in the defense once morest Japan from the first round of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup).
The Korean women’s soccer team, led by coach Colin Bell, lost 1-2 to Japan in the first leg of the 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship held at Kashima Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on the 19th.
In the first match of the tournament aimed at reclaiming the East Asian summit for the first time in 17 years since the first inning in 2005, Korea’s challenge to the championship became virtually difficult as they were unable to overcome a match once morest Japan in a row without a win (3 draws and 4 losses).
‘Ace’ So-yeon Ji (Suwon FC) scored one goal with her individual skill and avoided a loss, but in the conceding scene, bad luck overlapped or allowed a decisive opportunity too easily, and a disappointing defeat was recorded.
Against Japan on this day, Korea, with Choi Yu-ri and Son Hwa-yeon (Hyundai Steel) at the forefront of the attack, followed by Ji So-yeon, Cho So-hyeon (Tottenham) and Lee Young-joo (Madrid CFF), took the initiative by increasing their possession of the ball in the early stages.
They raised the line and pushed through aggressive forward pressure, but Japan responded defensively and did not lead to many threatening opportunities within the penalty area.
While Ji So-yeon moved freely, the wingbacks Jang Seul-gi (Hyundai Steel) and Chu Hyo-joo (Suwon FC), including both wingbacks, moved actively and responded stably in defense.
Japan built a thick midfield and basically seemed to focus on defense, but once the space came out, it showed sharp claws.
Japan’s first goal in the 33rd minute was bad luck for Korea.
Shim Seo-yeon (Seoul City Hall) tried to lift the cross posted by Hikaru Nawamoto of Japan from the right flank in the penalty area, but it was bent by Jang Seul-gi nearby and flowed into an ambiguous place.
Japan’s Narumiya Yui connected it with a cutback, and Miyazawa Hinata finished it, giving Japan the lead.
In the second half, Japan’s attacking aggressiveness increased, and the equalizing goal in the 14th minute of the second half came from Ji So-yeon’s individual skill.
Chu Hyo-joo narrowed it down from the right flank and sent a pass into the penalty area, and Ji So-yeon, who received it from the center, bypassed the defense and made a right-footed turning shot.
As the frequency of the ball being thrown into the penalty area increased, expectations for a comeback were also raised, but South Korea got caught up in defensive concentration in six minutes and conceded one more goal to Nagano Fuka.
The check once morest Riko Ueki on the right flank, which Japan often used, was not enough, and when Nagano caught the ball from the center following Ueki’s pass, he was numerically superior, but the failure to shoot was ultimately conceded in the final.
Substitute resources such as Kang Chae-rim (Hyundai Steel), Jeon Eun-ha (Suwon FC), Park Eun-sun, and Jang Yu-bin (Seoul City Hall), which were activated from the 26th minute of the second half, were all aggressive cards, but they did not change the result.
Before this tournament, national team coach Colin Bell put more meaning in the preparation process for the FIFA World Cup to be held next year than the result of the match itself. It was.
/yunhap news
