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Taeguk Ladies' new manager gets off to rocky start with 4-0 loss to Japan

Published: 27 Oct. 2024, 14:46

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Korea lose 4-0 to Japan in a friendly on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

New Korean women’s football team manager Shin Sang-woo’s first game in charge ended with a 4-0 loss to age-old rivals Japan at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday.

Korea withstood a strong performance from Japan until the 32nd minute, when the defense fell apart to concede goal after goal.

The Taeguk Ladies started without veteran midfielder Ji So-yun, who was dropped from the squad due to injury.

Moon Mi-ra and Han Chae-rin led the attack and attempted shots in the early going, but the squad spent more time defending in the first half, with Japan recording more shots on target.

Japan’s attempts on goal gradually became sharper, leading to the opening goal in the 32d minute from Hikaru Kitagawa, who scored on a corner.

The goal sucked the life out of the Korean defense, which conceded two more goals in three minutes.

The defenders were not quick to react to the movements of Japan's forwards inside the penalty area, allowing a second goal by Aoba Fujino in the 34th minute.

The third goal was also a result of poor defending. Center-back Lee Si-ho failed to clear the ball properly on the edge of the penalty box, taking a poor touch to let the ball slip straight into the path of Mina Tanaka, who finished the job in the 37th minute.

Clumsy man-marking cost Korea another goal in the second half. No one went near Momoko Tanikawa as she ran toward the penalty area to slot the ball home in the 56th minute.

The remainder of the match mostly saw Japan creating more chances for a bigger trouncing of Korea, but the 4-0 was the final result.

Saturday’s loss marks Korea’s third straight loss after going down 3-0 and 4-0 in a two-game series against the United States in June.

No more friendlies for Korea are scheduled this year as of press time Sunday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]