After being eliminated in the group stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023, the Women’s National Team has returned home. Head coach Colleen Bell vowed to analyze the results and prepare for the future. The lone goal scorer, Cho So-hyun, said she was “still a frog in the water” and needed to improve, while Cho vowed to be “stronger in four years”.
The women’s soccer team returned to Korea ahead of schedule on May 5 through Incheon International Airport. The team went into the World Cup hoping to surpass their best-ever performance at the 2015 World Cup in Canada by reaching the round of 16. Aside from Germany (No. 2), the team (No. 17) was ranked higher than Colombia (No. 25) and Morocco (No. 72) in the FIFA rankings and was expected to advance to the round of 16. However, the team finished the tournament with one draw and two losses.
“We were very disappointed not to make it to the round of 16,” Bell said, noting that the team played well in the first 30 minutes against Colombia, but after conceding the penalty, the players froze. “We didn’t think we could turn the game around after the second goal,” Bell said. The team lost 0-2 against Colombia in their first game, a watershed moment in the Round of 16. In their second game, against Morocco, South Korea lost 0-1. “The players were nervous,” Bell said, referring to the aftermath of the first game.
In the final game, the team drew 1-1 against Germany. For the first time at a World Cup, they scored the opening goal. “I’m satisfied with the performance and the result,” Bell said, adding that the younger players Casey Eugene Fair (16-PDA) and Chun Garam (20-Hwacheon KSPO) played well, while Lee Young-joo (31-Madrid CFF) played well for the first time in more than a year.”
The final draw was significant as it denied FIFA No. 2 Germany its first-ever group stage exit, but it doesn’t change the fact that they didn’t get a point. “As a coach, I have a responsibility to the team,” Bell said, “and I will analyze it with a cool head. We’ll take what we’ve learned and experienced from this tournament and apply it going forward.”
Cho So-hyun, who scored the only goal, said, “I knew from the article that it was Korea’s first goal.” “Rather than thinking about that, the players were all eager at that time, and I think my timing paid off,” he laughed. 꽁머니사이트 “I was disappointed that we didn’t fully show our style and skills in the games against Colombia and Morocco,” he said, “but against Germany, the players were very eager to show what we were made of and record a win and a goal.” In conclusion, Cho concluded, “After the first and second games, there were talks of poor form and nervousness, but the real skill is being able to show the amount of work we put in at the World Cup,” adding, “I’m still a frog in the well.”