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Ji and Paige's back-to-back goals lead U.S. women's soccer team to 2-1 win over Czech Republic
The South Korean women's national soccer team, led by head coach Colleen Bell, won its first official match of 2024.
On Friday (Sept. 25) in Lisbon, Portugal, Bell's squad scored back-to-back goals from Ji So-yeon and Casey Eugene to earn a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in a friendly.
South Korea, ranked 20th in the FIFA rankings, earned the win over the 28th-ranked Czech Republic. The win gives South Korea a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams.
Bell will play her second friendly against the Portugal Women's National Team on Sept. 25 at 3:15 a.m. in Estoril, Portugal.
Bell opted for a 3-5-2 formation against the Czech Republic.
Yuri Choi (Birmingham) and Casey Fair (Angel City) started in the '2' role. Choo Hyo-Joo (Incheon Hyundai Steel), Ji So-Yeon (Seattle Reign), Jang Seul-Ki (Gyeongju Hansuwon), 안전놀이터 Cho So-Hyun (Birmingham), and Lee Eun-Young (Changnyeong WFC) support them.
Shim Seo-yeon (Suwon FC), Lee Young-joo (Madrid CFF), and Kim Hye-ri (Incheon Hyundai Steel) formed the back three, with Kim Jung-mi (Incheon Hyundai Zetcher) in goal.
Both teams battled from the start of the match, with Korea taking the early lead.
In the 16th minute, Ji So-yeon took a free kick near the penalty box. Ji tied the game in the 16th minute with a shot over the opposing defense.
South Korea added one more goal at the start of the second half. In the first minute of the second half, Casey Paire, assisted by Choo Hyo-joo, scored a low shot to extend the gap between the two teams to two goals.
The Czech Republic did not go down easily. Eva Bartonova pulled one back in the eighth minute of the second half.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net after that, and the game ended with a 2-1 victory for South Korea.
Meanwhile, South Korean multiplayer Jang Seul-ki reached the milestone of 100 A-match appearances with his appearance in the match.