Korea drop friendly to Portugal 5-1 in mostly one-sided match

Football

Published: 28 Feb. 2024, 10:33

Korea drop friendly to Portugal 5-1 in mostly one-sided match

Portugal's Andreia Faria, right, scores a goal against Korea during a friendly at Antonio Coimbra da Mota stadium in Portugal on Tuesday. [EPA/YONHAP]

The Korean women’s national team suffered a huge 5-1 loss to Portugal in a friendly on Tuesday, ending a two-game series in Europe with one win and one loss.

Korea went into the match at Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in Portugal on the back of a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, whom Portugal beat 3-1 last week, on Saturday.

Ji So-yun and Casey Phair lead Korea to 2-1 victory over Czech Republic

The game became one-sided in the 18th minute when goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi made a goalkeeping error on a longshot goal by Joana Marchao.

That goal seemed to put extra pressure on Korea, with the defenders failing to mark Portuguese players in their own territory.

Korea's shakiness on the pitch allowed Portugal three more goals in the first half, with Telma Encarnacao scoring her side’s second goal in the 37th minute before Andreia Faria found No. 3 in the 45th and Jessica Silva made things 4-0 before the halftime whistle.

Portugal did not stop there and added their fifth goal with Silva scoring her second in the 51st minute.

Son Hwa-yeon put one back for Korea in the 79th minute, capitalizing on a ball that goalkeeper Ines Pereira failed to clear and scored what turned out to be Korea’s only goal in a 5-1 loss.

Tuesday’s loss was the first time Korea suffered a four-goal deficit since their 4-0 loss to England at the Arnold Clark Cup in February last year.

The Taeguk Ladies are not competing in any major international tournament this year, as they failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Instead, the squad may use this year as a tune-up ahead of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup where Korea could redeem themselves from a disappointing 2023. They crashed out of the 2023 World Cup group stage with one draw and two losses and exited the Hangzhou Asian Games in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Colin Bell, who has led the national team since 2019, will not be with the squad for the Asian Cup, though, if he chooses not to extend his contract that ends in December.

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