Korea Rep 1

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Korea Rep 1

Korea Come From Behind To Down Courageous Ferns

by Jeremy Ruane

Korea Republic scored a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Football Ferns at a chilly Goyang Stadium on November 27, after a first half performance by the beaten visitors which ranks as one of their finest 45 minute displays in many a month.

Everything you could want from your national team in a half of football, the Football Ferns delivered in spades in Goyang. From the snap and snarl of Ria Percival in midfield, through the harrying and hustling of Betsy Hassett alongside her, the driving forward forays of Ali Riley and Catherine Bott on the flanks, the sheer dominance of central defensive duo Meikayla Moore and Katie Bowen … the six most experienced players in the starting eleven set the tone.

Their efforts prompted Daisy Cleverley to raise her game to hitherto unseen heights in a shirt sporting the silver fern, while the lively endeavours of Liv Chance, Ava Collins and Jacqui Hand in attack gave the Koreans plenty to think about, after the hosts gave Anna Leat's aerial prowess a stern examination in the first five minutes of play.

The custodian was first tested just 105 seconds into the contest. Playmaker Ji So Yun spread the ball wide to her captain, Kim Hye Ri, who motored down the right before working a slick one-two with Choo Hyo Joo. Kim's cross to the near post was well dealt with by Leat, who was forced to punch a Ji corner to safety under not insignificant pressure three minutes later.

The Football Ferns - beneficiaries of a new Ford New Zealand sponsorship during the week which includes team naming rights entitlements - first flexed their attacking muscles in the tenth minute, captain Riley leading the charge.

Her angled cross was cleared to the edge of the penalty area, where Percival was lurking with intent, New Zealand's most capped player unleashing a fierce drive which flew over the angle of post and crossbar.

Back came the Koreans, Ji delivering another corner into the danger zone on the quarter hour. This one wasn't dealt with at all well by the Football Ferns, who were relieved to see the unmarked Hong Hye Ji clip the top of the crossbar with a header from six yards - a bad miss, make no mistake.

And one from which the Football Ferns drew courage. For the bulk of the next thirty minutes, the team in the ascendancy was wearing Kiwi black, not Korean red, and the natives knew not how to cope with this empowered opposition.

They first threatened in the 21st minute, Hand and Collins combining neatly on the right-hand side of the penalty area, with the latter getting to the by-line before fizzing a low cross into the near post. Chance was arriving on cue, but her touch was too heavy, and the chance was lost.

When Jitka Klimkova's charges next raided, they were rewarded with the game's opening goal. Moore broke up a Korean attack and instantly picked out Chance, who deftly evaded two opponents before spreading play wide to Collins.

The talented youngster held the ball up well while awaiting support, which materialised in the form of Riley. She initially took the ball on before checking and returning it to Collins, then looping around the striker to come in-field.

A precise return pass duly materialised, inviting Riley to deliver a teasing yet inviting cross into the danger zone. Darting in to meet it was Hand, whose deft glancing header guided the ball wide of the diving Yoon Young Guel and into the far corner of the net, to the delight of the scorer and her team-mates.

The goal stunned the natives, who struggled to muster a response. Instead, it was the visitors who looked the side more likely to alter the scoreboard again, and had Cleverley's conviction matched that of Hassett in the 33rd minute, they could well have done so.

Instead, scrambling defence prevailed - not something one generally associates with the Korean team, but they were under the pump at this stage of proceedings, and needs must was the order of the day.

They survived another scare two minutes before the interval, with Collins, Chance and Hand combining with Riley, who delivered a delicious ball into the box to reward Hassett's fine off-the-ball run. She was crowded out on this occasion, but in general the home team was struggling to cope with the Football Ferns' new-found confidence and resulting attacking vibrancy.

The last shot fired in anger in the first spell was unleashed by Choo, who swooped on a heavy touch by Hand to chance her arm from twenty-five yards, only to direct her shot straight at Leat, whose role in the last thirty minutes had been largely spectatorial.

It certainly wasn't the case in the second spell. A half-time rev-up from coach Colin Bell, coupled with some telling tactical tweaks, changed the

course of the contest. It was the early second half substitution of Lee Mi Na which most influenced the outcome, as the resulting switch to a 4-diamond-2 formation wasn't countered by the Football Ferns, inaction which cost them a result their performance merited.

Ji immediately moved to the sharp end of the diamond, and immediately began directing proceedings for the home team's benefit. Only a solid block tackle from Bowen prevented her from making in-roads into New Zealand's penalty area in the 55th minute, while a hurried clearance from Moore allowed Ji to play in half-time substitute Choe Yu Ri three minutes later, with her cross being thwarted by Bott.

As the hour mark approached, Korea drew level. Kim's early ball down the line caught Riley out of position, and gave Choe a vital yard on her opponent. The Kiwi skipper swiftly made up the ground on her rival, but attempted to tackle her too early, allowing Choe to get into the area and lure Leat out of goal.

As the 'keeper approached, Choe slipped the ball across goal to the far post, where Choo was racing in to turn the ball home. Moore was a stride ahead of her opponent, but could do nothing to prevent herself from diverting the ball anywhere but over the line from point-blank range - an "oggie" which brought great joy to native players and supporters, particularly those for whom banging drums was their raison d'etre.

The crossbar came to the Football Ferns' rescue in the 66th minute, Jo uncorking a superb dipping twenty-five yard free-kick which had Leat beaten all ends up. Bowen was to the fore again sixty seconds later, her timely tackle halting Choe's progress on the edge of the area.

Leat had to be at her best to keep out a tantalising twenty-yarder from Choo nineteen minutes from time, the 'keeper flying to her right to, at full stretch, fingertip the dipping ball to safety - a splendid denial.

Which made what happened ten minute later all the more frustrating. After Son Hwa Yeon and Bowen had made the acquaintance of local referee Yu Jeong Kim for committing bookable offences - the official could easily have added a couple more names to her collection throughout proceedings where such challenges were concerned, the Koreans earned a free-kick in an inviting position, albeit out of shooting range.

Ji swiftly sized up the prospects on offer, and picked out Cho Soh Yun with her delivery on the far edge of the goal area. The midfielder's deft footwork allowed her to get the better of Moore and deliver a cross to the far post, where the completely unmarked figure of Lim Seon Joo headed home the winner - there wasn't a black-clad opponent in camera shot, despite the proximity of the position to the target.

Quite what prompted this collective loss of concentration only the players will know, but it certainly contrasted starkly with their first half excellence, although that said, the memory of Hong's unchallenged header from six yards on the quarter hour does hint that this is an issue which needs addressing from a coaching perspective.

2-1 could have become 3-1 six minutes later. Malia Steinmetz - her first appearance on the world stage in three years - was still getting up to speed when she gifted possession to Cho, who quickly brought Ji into play.

Her pass sent Choe spearing through the inside right channel, but her attempt to shoot was superbly foiled by Moore's lunging challenge - a terrific piece of defending from a player who, with Bowen, was as prominent defensively in the second spell as she had been creatively in the first.

Deep in stoppage time, the Football Ferns were afforded the chance of a late equaliser via a free-kick halfway inside Korea's half of the pitch. Leat came up to take it, lofting the ball into the goalmouth, from where it was cleared as far as Hannah Blake.

The substitute picked out fellow replacement Gabrielle Rennie with her cross, but unlike at the Olympics, there was to be no last-gasp goal to celebrate on this occasion, as she directed her header straight at Yoon.

The teams meet again at the same venue on Tuesday evening, with the Football Ferns aiming to build on their solid first half showing and turn the tables on their hosts, who were well pleased to emerge triumphant from this tough test of their qualities by a 2-1 scoreline.

Korea Rep.: Yoon; Kim, Lim, Hong, Jang; M. Lee (Park, 54), Ji, Cho; Choo (Yeo, 74), G. Lee (Choe, 46), Son (booked, 78) (Seo, 83)

Football Ferns: Leat; Bott, Moore, Bowen (booked, 79), Riley; Hassett (Blake, 77), Percival, Cleverley (Steinmetz, 86); Hand (Rood, 60), Collins (Rennie, 60), Chance (Satchell, 86)

Referee: Yu Jeong Kim (Korea Republic)

Football Ferns build-up