hankyoreh

Port of Spain

By Kim Chang-keum, Staff writer

It was the perfect finish. The dream of winning the World Cup, the highest stage in the world. The strong women of South Korea’s under-17 women’s football team did not miss a chance. South Korea had been criticized to no end for being weak finishers, but this new generation of footballers, full of substance, was different.

The South Korean national team beat Japan 5-4 on penalties after taking a 3-3 tie through overtime in the finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday (local time). This marks the first time any South Korean team has won the championship in a FIFA-sponsored event. Yeo Min-ji was the top goal scorer with eight goals, securing her the Golden Shoe award, and received the tournament’s Golden Ball award to go along with her World Cup victory.

The tenacity of comeback specialists South Korea produced the miracle. They were behind 1-2, but equalized at 2-2, went down again 2-3 and came back to even the score at 3-3. What they lacked in technique, they made up for in effort. South Korean national team coach Cho Kwang-rae said it was next to impossible to come back like that in a major tournament like a World Cup final, and that the men’s team should learn from the women’s example. Even in the penalty kicks, the team secured victory through bold shots.

South Korea scored the first goal six minutes in with a long-range strike off the right foot of Lee Jeong-eun. Mistakes by goalkeeper Kim Min-ah, however, led to two Japanese goals before team captain Kim Ar-eum evened the score 2-2 by scoring on a long-range free-kick from the right midfield, bringing the first half to an end at a draw. Defeat seemed certain 12 minutes into the second half when Japan’s Chika Kato scored with an assist from Kumi Yokoyama, who managed to get into the left side of the box. Things returned to square one, however, when Lee So-dam tied it up again. Despite a fierce battle, neither team could take the lead after 120 minutes, including overtime. In the end, South Korea won on penalties, 5-4, taking home the trophy in the second U-17 Women’s World Cup.

South Korea started the penalties in disquiet when Lee Jeong-eun, the first kicker, was stopped by the Japanese goalkeeper. Japan’s second kicker, Naoko Wada, missed, however, so victory was once again up for grabs at 2-2. South Korea’s Yeo Min-ji, Lee So-dam, Kim Dae-hye and Kim Ar-eum coolly scored goals. Japan also netted all of its kicks to make it 4-4. Victory rested with the sixth kicker. Japan’s Tomoko Muramatsu put one over the crossbar, and South Korea’s Jang Seul-gi did not falter, winning the tournament with a neatly placed kick.

The young women who rewrote Korean football history are a strongly assertive new generation. After the match, team captain Kim Ar-eum said she felt great, and wanted to enjoy it to the fullest, revealing her excited emotions. Unlike the young athletes of the past, with their short hair and bronzed faces, many of the players wear their hair long and have lighter complexions. Lee Seong-cheon, coach of Pohang Girls’ Electronic High School, said that watching the team hang out, it seems like that are having a festival in which they themselves set the program.

When they go on the pitch, however, they transform completely. They make mistakes as they are still young at age 17, but they never give up. They seemed dogged, running around the pitch for 120 minutes through overtime, despite being only high school students. In this, the coach supported their drive by bringing the team together and laying out a well-planned strategy of substitutions at the right time. Coach Choi Duck-joo said praise can make even whales dance, and he believes his praise of his players helped.

North Korea won the first U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008, and with South Korea winning the second, the power of Korean women’s football has drawn the world’s attention. The mass appearance of prominent players brightens the future. South Korea will not compete at the Women’s World Cup next year in Germany, but the victory is both a new chance for the 2015 Women’s World Cup and a beacon of hope. This is because Korea’s has a “golden generation” made up of Ji So-yeon (Hanyang Women‘s University), the star of Korea’s third place U-20 team, and the players of the U-17 team.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]