Korean women’s soccer dominated the Philippines with consecutive goals by Choo Hyo-joo and Choi Yu-ri.
The South Korean women’s national soccer team, led by coach Colin Bell, won 2-1 in the second leg of the “New World E-Mart Invited Women’s National Team Friendship Match” against the Philippines at Icheon Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 8th.
As a result, Korea (FIFA Ranking 20) continued to win all six games against the Philippines (FIFA Ranking 39th).
Chu Hyo-joo scored a goal 27 seconds after kick-off
Coach Bell operated a 3-4-1-2 formation. The two-top was composed of Lee Geum-min and Choi Yu-ri, and Ji So-yeon as an attacking midfielder. Jang Seul-ki and Jeon Eun-ha held out in the midfield, and Choo Hyo-joo and Kang Chae-rim were deployed as left and right wingbacks. Lee Young-joo, Ko Yun-na, and Kim Hye-ri were the three defenders, and Choi Ye-seul was the goalkeeper.
Korea took the lead in 27 seconds. Choi Yu-ri connected the pass Kim Hye-ri handed over to the right cutback. At this time, Chu Hyo-joo, who was rushing from the other side, lightly pushed it in.
South Korea continued to pressure the Philippines from the front and dominated the game. Choi Yu-ri, who received a pass from Lee Geum-min in the 8th minute, attempted to shoot in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but missed the post. In the 9th minute of the first half, Choi Yu-ri passed the pass to Kang Chae-rim on the right, and Kang Chae-rim’s shot crossed the crossbar.
Korea faced a crisis once in the 25th minute of the first half. The cause was Choi’s inability to accurately deal with the Philippines’ long kick. However, goalkeeper Choi Yeseul defended his opponent’s shot afterwards.
Choi Yu-ri is active with 2 consecutive goals
South Korea completed its second run in the 33rd minute. Kang Cha-rim, who dug into the right, crossed low and fast, and Choi Yu-ri made a sensational shot at the near post. The first half ended with a 2-0 lead for South Korea.
In the second half, South Korea unilaterally led the game. The Philippines was busy in the defense all the time without crossing the half-line.
In the third minute of the second half, Choi Yu-ri’s header went to the left side of the goal after Kang Cha-rim’s cross. A minute later, Choi, who received a forward pass in the midfield, confronted the goalkeeper and shot, but it bounced off the post.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Ko Yu-na fired two decisive shots from the gate, but all were blocked by the goalkeeper’s defense, leaving a regret.
While Korea was unable to run away due to lack of goal-scoring ability, it rather lost one goal to the Philippines. In the 29th minute of the second half, Beard scored the goal with a left foot free kick that crossed the defense wall.
Korea seemed to give up its share to the Philippines, perhaps due to a slight drop in energy levels over time. Nevertheless, it was not enough for the Philippines to turn the tide.
2 wins over Philippines, gets off to a flying start in 2024
South Korea experienced consecutive failures at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the Asian Games in Hangzhou, and the Asian qualifiers for the Paris Olympics, which were held last year. As the overall team age group is high, it has revealed great weaknesses in mobility and physical strength.
In an away exhibition match in Europe in February, the team lost 1-5 to Portugal, which left much to be desired. In response, Bell focused on transfusion of young blood by gradually changing generations in the first A match to be held at home in April. The two exhibition matches against the Philippines were important in that they could serve as a starting point for a full-fledged generational change.
In the first match against the Philippines, Choi Yu-ri, Ji So-yeon, and Jang Seul-gi scored consecutive goals to win 3-0 and get off to a flying start.
Bell conducted the experiment by changing six starting players compared to the first game. Korea also showed off its skills to an upper level in the second game, which took place in just three days. 유흥알바
Choo scored the first goal at the 27th second, the shortest time in Korean women’s soccer history. She was 11 seconds ahead of Sung Hyun-ah’s 38 seconds at the 2003 Asian Cup against Hong Kong, the shortest record.
Choi Yu-ri, a forward striker who has scored one goal and one assist, is also a contributor. She scored one goal in the first round and the other in the second round, becoming the only player in her team to score a goal for two consecutive games. She has lived up to Bell’s expectations by moving widely to the front and the side and creating many opportunities.