Head coach Colleen Bell credits her squad for a valuable draw against favorites Germany.

The South Korea women’s national football team earned a 1-1 draw against eventual champions Germany in their third Group H match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 at Brisbane Stadium in Queensland, Australia, on Wednesday (June 3).

The draw, which followed two consecutive defeats, left South Korea (1 point) at the bottom of the group and out of contention for a spot in the round of 16. However, the draw averted the threat of an outright group stage defeat and snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to the round of 16 at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

South Korea came out firing from the start. In the sixth minute of the first half, Cho So-hyun (Independent) made a subtle break in the opposing defense. She was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and calmly fired a shot into the net. It was South Korea’s first goal of the tournament and the first goal by a South Korean team in World Cup history.

South Korea equalized just before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Alexandra Pope headed home a cross from the right side to level the score. No further goals were scored and the game ended in a draw.

“I said we were going to play to our strengths and capabilities,” Bell said after the game, “and we had a lot of dangerous moments, but the girls fought really well.” “So Hyun Cho scored a great goal for us, but we are disappointed not to advance to the round of 16.”

Korea fielded an unconventional lineup on the day, with 2007-born Casey Fair Eugene (PDA) and 2002-born Chun Garam (Hwacheon KSPO) starting at the same time. The duo used their high volume of play to pressure Germany.카지노

“We’ve already thought about how we’re going to play with Casey Eugene Fair up front and Cheon Garam on the right flank,” Bell said, explaining that he wanted to showcase the enthusiasm of the young players. “We wanted to show that we have young blood,” he said.

“Now we have to look to the future,” he said, hinting at a generational shift: “We have a lot of players in their mid-30s, so it’s time for a new team.”

“We proved today that we can play well, but it’s time to refocus,” Bell said, “to look at our infrastructure and systems.” “We’ll see how we can maximize the players’ stats,” he concluded his World Cup journey.