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China blocking Korea's path to Tokyo

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South Korea's women's national football team midfielder Kang Chae-rim, left, attempts a cross during the Tokyo Olympic qualification match against China at the Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. South Korea lost the match 2-1. / Yonhap
South Korea's women's national football team midfielder Kang Chae-rim, left, attempts a cross during the Tokyo Olympic qualification match against China at the Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. South Korea lost the match 2-1. / Yonhap

By John Duerden

For South Korea's women, well all of Asia's women really, the road to the Tokyo Olympics has been a frustrating one. It started back in 2018, a time when, of course, all thought that the tournament would take place in the summer of 2020.

The men sealed their place by winning the Asian U-23 Championship in January 2020, just before sports around the world ground to a halt. The Taeguk Nangja at least were able to join qualification at the third round in February 2020. Then they won the group on home soil, finishing above Vietnam and Myanmar after North Korea withdrew. That took the team into the final play-offs.

All the Korean ladies had to do in order to win that ticket to Tokyo was to beat China over two legs. Those games have been postponed on numerous occasions, for obvious reasons, but the first leg took place last Thursday in Goyang, northwest of Seoul.

In the men's game, South Korea has an utterly dominant record over China but when it comes to the female form of the beautiful game, the story is rather different. The Steel Roses have been Asian champions no less than eight times and reached the final of the 1999 Women's World Cup in front of 90,000 fans in California, only to lose to the United States after a penalty shootout. They also won silver at the 1996 Olympics. In short, China is a powerhouse.

Korea has nothing like the same pedigree but went into the game in Goyang knowing that a good result was necessary to take across the Yellow Sea for Tuesday's return leg which will take place in Suzhou.

The problem is that China won 2-1. Zhang Xin opened the scoring after 33 minutes though Kang Chae-rim made it 1-1 shortly after. With 17 minutes remaining however, Wang Shuang, one of Asia's best players, scored from the penalty spot to give Korea a huge amount to do on Tuesday.

Colin Bell is the head coach and the Englishman was trying to put on a brave face after the game while admitting that the task had become much tougher.

"We made our lives even harder and more difficult, which was totally unnecessary," Bell said. "We should have at least had a 1-1 draw. The girls dominated in the last 15 to 20 minutes. We had some good passages of play. In the second half, I can't remember a chance for China in the second half apart from the penalty."

"So we just have to look at the game and pick out the moments and the areas that we need to improve, and also identify the areas that China have the weaknesses that we can exploit a little bit better," Bell added. "And we know of course, yes, it's a tough one, but it's not impossible."

It is not impossible though it would take perhaps the best result in South Korea's history of women's football. Winning by two goals will send Korea to Tokyo, a one-goal victory makes the situation more complicated but only victory will do.

Much depends on captain and Chelsea star Ji So-yun. The captain was busy in the first game and needs to inspire and lead the team in China if Korea is to have any chance.

"We were running on fumes toward the end, and we have trouble controlling the gap on defense," Ji said. "But this is not over yet. We have to recover and try to win in China."




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