Stronger than expected. Rougher than expected. The South Korean women’s national team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 had their With the loss, the team continued the “scoreless first game” jinx. From their first tournament in 2003 in the United States to their last, in France 2019, the team has failed to score a goal and earn a point in their first game. Even at the 2015 먹튀검증 tournament in Canada, where they reached the round of 16, they lost 0-2 in their first group game against Brazil.heads down in their first match against Colombia. Drawn in a group with favorites Germany, the team needed to beat Colombia to advance to the round of 16. However, they faced a tough “what if” scenario as they dropped the match against Colombia, which was considered a watershed moment in their progression to the main tournament.

Colin Bell’s side fell to a 0-2 defeat to Colombia in their Group H opener at Sydney Football Stadium in New South Wales, Australia, on Friday. Without a point from their first game, the Socceroos remain in third place in the group behind Germany, who beat Morocco 6-0 the day before, and Colombia, who beat South Korea. The 32-nation tournament is divided into eight groups and teams must finish in the top two to advance to the round of 16. The team will face Morocco in the second round at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. They need to take three points from this match to keep their hopes alive for the round of 16. After facing Morocco, the team will play their final group game on March 3 against eventual champions Germany.

The first goal came on a penalty kick. In the 28th minute, Shim Seo-yeon committed a handball foul while blocking a shot by Manuela Banes. In addition to the penalty kick, the referee also showed a yellow card. Colombian Catalina Usme stepped up to take the kick and calmly found the back of the net for her team.

With no time to regroup, Colombia added another goal in the 39th minute. There was no stopping Linda Carceido (Real Madrid), who was on red alert. Caseido broke down the left flank and broke down the defense, and she promptly fired a right-footed shot into the back of the net.

Down 0-2, the U.S. went into the second half looking to fight back. Coach Bell brought on a variety of players to try and fight back, but it wasn’t easy. In the 33rd minute, mixed-race player Casey Eugene Fair (16-PDA) took the field. Born to an American father and Korean mother, Fair is the youngest player in the 32-nation field at the tournament, making her the youngest player in Women’s World Cup history. It was also the first time a mixed-race player had ever worn the colors of the Republic of Korea.

But the Colombian goal was hard to come by. They were out-shot by Colombia (38% – 32% contested) with 30% possession. They had just five shots (two on goal). Colombia, on the other hand, pressured the national team with 17 shots (5 on target).

With the loss, the team continued the “scoreless first game” jinx. From their first tournament in 2003 in the United States to their last, in France 2019, the team has failed to score a goal and earn a point in their first game. Even at the 2015 tournament in Canada, where they reached the round of 16, they lost 0-2 in their first group game against Brazil.

The players hung their heads in disappointment. “We were pressured and nervous coming into a losing situation, but we tried to do our best,” said Paire. “If we get another chance, we will think of it as our last game and play even harder.” Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC) and Cho So-hyun (Tottenham) broke the record for the most appearances by a South Korean player with their 146th A match together, but they couldn’t smile. “After conceding the first goal from the penalty spot, we needed a goal to bring back the momentum, but we didn’t get it,” said Ji, who was visibly moved to tears.

“The quality of the players is better than what we saw in the game,” said Bell, reflecting that “there are always dangerous moments after mistakes, but Colombia capitalized on their chances and we didn’t.”