“Everybody did not expect that Morocco would reach the World Cup semifinals. Hopefully we can be this time.”
The Korean women’s soccer team, led by head coach Colin Bell, successfully completed the final mock test with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s Soccer World Cup launch ceremony and evaluation match against Haiti held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 8th.
It was Ji So-yeon, an ace and living legend, who led Korea to victory. He proved why he is the best with a penalty kick equalizer and an accurate free kick pass that helped Seulgi Jang’s wonder goal.
Ji So-yeon, who participated in the 145th A match, scored the 67th goal and wrote a new history in Korean women’s soccer. Currently, no player has played more A-matches or scored more goals than her.
This is her third World Cup appearance. Starting with the 2015 World Cup in Canada, she will compete in the 2019 World Cup in France and this Australia-New Zealand World Cup. Best score is 16th. This time, they are aiming for the quarterfinals.
Ji So-yeon said, “I was so happy to play in Sangam for the first time in 10 years. It was also meaningful because it was a World Cup launch ceremony with many fans,” she said. “She scored in an A match for the first time in a long time. (Cho) Sohyeon unnie made it. The national team is a position with a lot of responsibility. I was able to run for a long time and I am proud of this path I have walked. Now that young players are playing, I hope that there will be players who can run more than Sohyun unnie,” she said.
“I’m leaving for Australia on the 10th, but there are still a lot of things I need to improve. I was happy to finish the game against Haiti with a win, and I have to prepare well for the next two weeks,” she added.
Korea is a strong power in Asia, but it has not yet been able to properly use its power on the world stage. After the game against Haiti, Bell also mentioned the reality that it is difficult to properly compete with players with physical and speed in the WK League. As the number of players entering foreign countries is increasing, competitiveness is improving, but it is also a part of the pinch that the competitiveness of the domestic league should increase in the end.
Regarding this, Ji So-yeon said, “There are fast players like Choi Yu-ri, Son Hwa-yeon, and Kang Chae-rim. However, there is a clear physical difference from European players. Still, I think we have enough competitiveness. She trained with the under-17s and is capable and competitive. It was the first time I trained with young players, and even compared to my childhood, my skills are good. If you grow well, you can have enough competitiveness.”
Ji So-yeon mentioned Morocco, which caused a cataclysm by reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup at the World Cup launch ceremony. He said in front of 9,127 fans, “Morocco caused a great change in the last (Qatar) World Cup, and I believe that Korea will cause a great change in this World Cup.”
Ji So-yeon said, “Everyone didn’t expect Morocco to reach the World Cup semifinals. In major competitions, such anomalies always occur. In this World Cup, there is a wish that we become. And I prepared well for that to happen. I think I need to focus well against Colombia.”토토사이트
In addition, “I was able to play with a happy heart because you prepared well for the World Cup launch ceremony. AOMG also came, so the atmosphere was good. Over 9,000 people came with a heavy burden. I will play a good game so that they can visit the stadium for the next A match, and I will try again.”
Finally, Ji So-yeon said, “When he said he was going to play against Haiti, he honestly had no idea. But when he saw the video and jumped, he thought that women’s soccer had come up a lot. The number of countries participating in the World Cup also increased from 24 to 32. I think other teams have come up as much as we have come up. It will be a tough challenge. However, based on what I prepared, I will take on a great challenge.”