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| South Korean's Women football head coach, Colin Bell. (Photo from The League Paper) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL-- One loss, however crushing it may be, won't end South Korea's dream of playing in the women's football tournament at this year's Tokyo Olympics, head coach Colin Bell said Thursday. Bell's charges lost to China 2-1 in the opening leg of the Olympic women's football qualifying playoffs at Goyang Stadium in Goyang. Wang Shuang's 73rd-minute penalty was the difference in a hard-fought contest.
Down by one goal in the aggregate score and by two in away goals, South Korea face an uphill battle in the second leg, set for Tuesday at Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre in Suzhou, China. In case of a tie in the total score, the team with more away goals will hold the tiebreaker. This means South Korea must take the next match by at least 3-2. A 2-1 South Korean victory will set up extra time because the two sides will be deadlocked in both the aggregate score and the away goals. A 1-0 win won't suffice for Bell's team.
In his post-match press conference, Bell lamented that South Korea "gifted them both goals." The first score, by Zhang Xi in the 33rd minute, came after a momentary lapse of concentration in the box. The second-half penalty was awarded after a physical challenge by Son Hwa-yeon on Tang Jiali.
