It was questionable whether they had the weapons to defeat Germany, but even Japan is surprised by the beautiful result.
On March 3 at 7 p.m. ET, the Japan Women’s National Team drew 1-1 with world No. 2 Germany in their final Group H match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 at Brisbane Stadium in Queensland, Australia.
After a surprising opening goal from Cho So-hyun, who found space in the back of the opposition defense, South Korea was unable to hold on to the lead, conceding a header from Germany international forward Alexandra Pope.
Still, the draw against world No. 2 Germany was one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, with Colombia falling to Morocco in another upset at the same time, leaving Colombia and Morocco as the eventual Group H winners. Germany will return home with South Korea.
Yoshiyuki Kawaji, a sports journalist for Yahoo Japan’s “Soccer Compass” magazine, praised the Korean national team, saying, “It’s very surprising, and I think it’s a result of good analysis of the opponent.
He added, “The 4-0 victory over Spain proved that Korea is a world-class team. There is no difference between East and West now. It’s just that the overall level is rising, which is positive,” and praised both Korea and Japan together.
Of course, it wasn’t all good words. One Japanese soccer fan commented on Korea’s six-back tactic, saying, “They didn’t want to go through the group stage, but they needed to create an image of fighting hard against Germany.” In response, he said, “Korea made the best choice. “Korea made the best choice” and “I agree. There was no bold decision,” while others criticized the coaching staff’s choice.
Of course, there was a possibility that some Japanese soccer fans were dreaming of a 5-0 victory and advancing to the tournament, but this was somewhat silly considering that even the Japanese women’s national soccer team could not even guarantee a 1-1 draw against Germany if they played at full strength.바카라
In the end, South Korea didn’t beat Germany. However, the draw saved the national team from a humiliating record of losing and going scoreless in the tournament, and the team’s reputation as “Germany killers” continued to grow.