DPR Korea power into final
Nanjing: DPR Korea booked their place in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship 2017 final – as well as the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – after beating Australia 3-0 in a match they controlled from start to finish.
Prolific forward Sung Hyang-sim continued her run of outstanding performances, scoring twice to ensure DPR Korea will be there to defend the U-20 world title they won in Papua New Guinea last December.
Australia may still join them, but their hopes now hinge on a victory in the playoff for third place – where they will meet the losers of the second semi-final between Japan and China.
The Young Matildas began the match with an unfamiliar line-up, which only included three survivors from Sunday’s 5-2 win over Vietnam, and featured six players who had played less than 10 minutes of football in the tournament.
None of Australia’s four goal scorers at China 2017 featured in the match, with Remy Siemsen suspended and Alex Chidiac, Princess Ibini and Rachel Lowe among those left on the bench.
Alternatively, DPR Korea were unchanged from the team that beat China 2-0, and Thomas Gerstner’s side picked up from where they left off, nearly taking the lead through a header from Sung (pictured above, right) after just 13 seconds.
It seemed that every time an Australian player received the ball, they put were under immediate pressure by a player in red, as DPR Korea kept their opponents pinned inside their own half.
The inevitable opening goal came after Sung was brought down by Sophie Nenadovic, with Kim Pom-ui stepping up to make it 1-0 from the penalty spot in the ninth minute.
Despite their best efforts, Australia remained on the back foot, with Ananalee Grove – making her first appearance in Nanjing – called upon to make a series of saves in the opening stanza.
Disaster, however, would befall the young goalkeeper in the 28th minute, when she attempted to clear, but completely missed the ball, allowing the lethal Sung to tap the ball into an open net for her fifth goal of the tournament.
DPR Korea's chances kept coming, and so did an excellent one for Australia’s Melina Ayres, but the forward was unable to get a solid connection behind her close-range header in the 35th minute.
Confusion in the Australian defence presented a fabulous chance for Sung to score her second just two minuts later, but, with Grove completely exposed, DPR Korea’s top scorer hit the post from just 10 metres.
After the break, Sung missed a number of chances, but she showed her class in the 65th minute, shrugging off a defender before lobbing the ball over the outstretched Grove to make it 3-0, and all but end the match as a contest.
Sung was unable to complete a second hat-trick of the tournament, despite coming close, but she stood out as the game’s best player, as her team coasted to Saturday’s final.
DPR Korea will enter that final with a perfect record of four wins from as many matches without conceding a single goal, with the perennial contenders well placed to win the tournament for the first time since 2007.
Australia’s defeat eliminates them from the race for the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship title, but head coach Gary van Egmond’s stated aim of U-20 Women’s World Cup qualification remains in play, with a win in the playoff for third will secure a ticket to France 2018.
Thomas Gerstner: Head Coach, DPR Korea
“We had a nice result so we are in the final. In the first half the players played very well. The high pressure put the Australians in trouble many times. The Australians did what they can do. They fight, they run, but it was not enough to beat us. We were sure that we would win this match, and I’m very impressed because my players did exactly what I told them. If they do this in the final that will be okay also. I looked at the (Australian) start list, but I had no reaction, because we know they play with a 4-1-4-1. The players aren’t of interest, the system of interest. I would prefer Thailand in the final (not Japan or China). Both Japan and China are strong teams, and the best team will win. We have our strategy, and we will have a look at the opponent, and the best team will win.”
Gary van Egmond: Head Coach, Australia
“We knew it would be a difficult match. We had to go in with some fresh players because we have some who had played the last three games. Full credit to (DPR) Korea, they deserved to win. We created a couple of chances, but overall they were the better side. We knew before this game, we had to play two games – and if we were to make the final the best way would have been by resting payers. Now we have a situation where we have been able to rest a number of players for the next game. We feel very well prepared from a complete squad. It’s very important for us to keep to our principles, not only from a result point of view but from a player development point of view. We didn’t do it exactly how we wanted to do it, but there were times when we did get it right. We’ll keep to our principles. We know that’s how we want to play football, and we’ll keep on working on getting better at how we execute and put those principles into play.”
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com
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