(Reuters) – South Korea captain Ji So-yun will take inspiration from Morocco’s run to the semi-finals of the men’s World Cup last year as the east Asians attempt to spring a surprise at the Women’s World Cup later this month.
The Koreans are appearing at the finals, which kick off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, for the fourth time and have only progressed beyond the group phase on one occasion, when they reached the last 16 in Canada in 2015.
However, former Chelsea midfielder Ji is hoping the Colin Bell-coached outfit can go some way towards emulating the north Africans’ run to the last four in December.
“In major tournaments, you’re bound to see surprise teams. No one expected Morocco to reach the semi-finals at last year’s World Cup in Qatar,” Ji said, according to Yonhap News.
“I hope we can surprise people this time.
“There will be 32 teams in the tournament, and it will be a tough challenge. But we’ll try to make sure our hard work over the past four years will pay off.”
The Koreans have been drawn to face Germany, Morocco and Colombia in the group phase and depart for Australia on Monday.
They put the finishing touches to their pre-tournament training camp with a 2-1 win over fellow finalists Haiti in Seoul on Saturday, with Jang Sel-gi scoring a late winner.
“It finally dawned on me today that the World Cup is coming right up,” said Jang. “I think the younger players and the veterans are blending in nicely.
“We’ve been locked in some friendly competition during this training camp, and I am sure our individual skills have improved over time.
“Personally, I think we’re no longer the pushover that we used to be. I am looking forward to the tournament.”
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Kim Coghill)
