Korea continue Arnold Clark Cup slide with 2-1 loss to Belgium

Goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi, right, and Shim Seo-yeon of Korea in action against Belgium's Diede Lemey in the Arnold Clark Cup at Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, Britain on Sunday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The Korean women’s national football team lost their second Arnold Clark Cup game 2-1 to Belgium at Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, England on Sunday.

The Taeguk Ladies suffered a second straight loss after recording a 4-0 loss against England last Thursday in the four-team tournament hosted by the English Football Association.

The Taeguk Ladies were off to a better start on Sunday’s game, with Lee Gum-min of Brighton & Hove Albion scoring an early opener in the 10th minute. The team’s ace Ji So-yun, who missed the first game against England, also played alongside Lee and looked to get on the scoresheet.

Belgium, however, pressed the Taeguk Ladies hard with more possession and attempted multiple shots in the first half. Sarah Wijnants had a chance to equalize for her side in the 38th minute, but her shot hit the crossbar.

The Belgian Red Flames found that breakthrough in injury time at the end of the first half, with Tessa Wullaert scoring an equalizer with a ball that Korea failed to clear from a corner in the 46th minute.

The Taeguk Ladies’ defense started to display a lack of cohesion in the second half. They allowed a number of goal scoring opportunities for Belgium and did not bounce back.

They eventually conceded another goal in the 68th minute to Tine De Caigny, who tucked in the ball that goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi failed to clear from yet another corner kick.

The Taeguk Ladies stayed silent for the rest of the half, ultimately losing the game 2-1.

The Arnold Clark Cup is considered as a preparatory stage for those teams that qualified for the upcoming 2023 World Cup. There is still one more game against Italy left for the Korea women’s national team. Italy, who also qualified for the World Cup, will most likely test out their best possible XI against Korea.

That last match against Italy will take place at Ashton Game Stadium in Bristol on Wednesday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]