Taeguk Ladies hold Olympic champions Canada to a 0-0 draw

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Taeguk Ladies hold Olympic champions Canada to a 0-0 draw

Ji So-yun, center, fights for the ball during an international friendly against Canada at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Ji So-yun, center, fights for the ball during an international friendly against Canada at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada on Sunday. [NEWS1]

 
The Korean women's football team on Sunday held Olympic champions Canada to a 0-0 draw at BMO Field in Toronto.
 
The Taeguk Ladies, ranked at No. 18 on the FIFA world ranking, held off No. 6 Canada for 90 minutes despite the home side having a clear advantage in terms of possession and chances on goal.
 
Canada controlled 67 percent of the ball and tested the Korean defense a huge 13 times, with four of those shots landing on target. Despite the non-stop offensive, goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul and a solid defensive lineup — including veteran defender Kim Hye-ri in her 100th appearance for the national team — held off the attack to prevent Canada from getting anything in the back of the net.
 
Offense was more of a concern for Korea, with the Taeguk Ladies failing to get a single shot on target throughout the first half. Ji So-yun, the former Chelsea midfielder and Korea's all-time top scorer for both men and women across all competitions, was able to get a shot on target at the top of the second half, although it didn't really trouble the Canadian goalkeeper.
 
Still, the 0-0 final score is a worrying result for Canada, who last year won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and an encouraging one for Korea. Speaking after the game, head coach Colin Bell once again reiterated that maintaining the pace of the game across the full 90 minutes is still a concern for the Taeguk Ladies, an issue that he has repeatedly highlighted recently.
 
"We played some really good football," Bell was quoted as saying by Yonhap. "It wasn't as though we just laid low and hung on for dear life. We just need an element of concentration in the final third and that comes with a higher fitness level. So there's a lot to learn."
 
Sunday's friendly acted as a warm-up game for the Korean squad ahead of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship next month. The championship, which pits one qualifying team against Korea, Japan and China in a round robin tournament, will be played from July 19 to July 26 alongside the men's tournament. 
 
Korea will first face Japan on July 19 at Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Japan.
 
For Korea, the E-1 tournament also serves as an opportunity for the team to continue to hone their skills ahead of the 2023 Australia/New Zealand Women's World Cup, which kicks off in July next year.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
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