South Korea suffered a crushing defeat in the opening match of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Women’s Asian Cup, unable to close the gap.
The national team, led by head coach Kim Eun Jung, was utterly defeated 0-7 by North Korea in the first Group A match held at the United Training Center in Bali, Indonesia.
Though the team exhibited a relatively stable performance in the match’s early stages, their defense began to collapse after conceding the first goal to Ri Guk Hyang in the 41st minute of the first half.
Strategic changes utilizing substitution cards failed, and a third goal was conceded right after the start of the second half.
The North Korean players’ offense stood out in the match, with Jeon Il Jong scoring a hat trick. Meanwhile, mixed-race player Casey Yu Jin Phair, who plays for the A team, was replaced after only participating in the first half without any significant performance.
With this defeat, the Korean U-17 women’s national team fell significantly behind North Korea’s head-to-head record, standing at 1 win, 1 draw, and 6 losses. The score difference in this match was recorded as the most significant defeat between the two countries.
The eight-nation tournament will feature the top two teams in the semifinals after the group stage. The top three teams will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in the Dominican Republic in October.
South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia are in Group A for this tournament. Since winning in 2010, it has struggled to advance to the main tournament.
As North Korea’s advance to the top of the group is likely, Coach Kim Eun Jung’s team must score heavily in the next match to recover.
Coach Kim Eun Jung and his team are set to play against Indonesia at 8 PM Korean time on the 9th and the Philippines at 5 PM on the 12th, which will determine their chances of advancing to the tournament.
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