There is no end to ‘veteran MF’ Jo So-hyun…”Last dance? I still want to do more”

 Cho So-hyun, who set the record for participating in ‘A-Match 145’, announced that she would continue to work as a soccer player after this World Cup.

The women’s national soccer team (ranked 17th in FIFA rankings) led by coach Bell defeated Haiti (ranked 53rd in FIFA rankings) at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 8th at 5:00 pm in the “Shinsegae E-Mart Invitational Women’s National Soccer Team World Cup Opening Ceremony Match” 2-1. won a come-from-behind

In the face-to-face confrontation ceremony held ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Belho will complete the final skill check and enter Australia, the ‘land of the battle’, on the 10th. After adjusting to jet lag and adapting to the local environment, she plans to compete in the finals on the 16th in a closed evaluation match with the Netherlands.

Korea used a 5-3-2 formation. Choi Yu-ri, Son Hwa-yeon, Ji So-yeon, Lee Geum-min, Cho So-hyun, Kim Hye-ri, Jang Seul-gi, Lim Seon-joo, Sim Seo-yeon, Chu Hyo-joo, and Kim Jeong-mi were selected for the start.

On this day, the three aces of Korean women’s soccer teamed up in midfield. They are Ji So-yeon, Lee Geum-min, and Cho So-hyun. However, Haiti’s early attack was very strong. Even against Asia’s strongest midfield line, he pushed hard and took the initiative. In the end, Korea gave up a goal in the 16th minute of the first half.

It was the first match we played together. As a result, the position and spacing of the three players did not match. In addition, Jo So-hyun, who has been playing for the first time in a long time, often made mistakes and gave the ball to her opponent. However, as we entered the second half, we took a change. Choo Hyo-joo came down as a defensive midfielder, and Cho So-hyun played like a left wing forward.

The change was immediately fruitful. In the 4th minute of the second half, Cho So-Hyun tried to break through the dribble with 4 opponents in front. He won a penalty kick (PK) after tripping into the opponent’s defense inside the penalty box. Ji So-yeon finished this and balanced the score. Korea, which brought the atmosphere, continued to attack, and in the end Seulgi Jang’s wonder goal in the 36th minute won the match 2-1.

Cho So-hyun, who played full-time on this day, played 145 of his A-matches, again writing the record for the most appearances among men and women together with Ji So-yeon.

Cho So-hyun, who we met in the mixed zone after the game, said about the breathing of the three midfielders, “I think we still have to adjust. So this time, it didn’t fit well in the first half, but I think the players kept talking to Soyeon while playing the game and kept talking about what to do. So I think it worked out better in the second half.”안전놀이터

He also opened up about his injuries. In the process of attempting to shoot twice in the 14th minute of the second half, Cho So-hyun broke her ankle at the opposing defensive tackle. Cho So-Hyun couldn’t get up from the ground for a while, but he walked on his own and signaled that he was okay.

Although the injury was not serious, Cho wore a brace on his ankle when he went out to the Mixed Zone. When asked about the injury, he said, “The tackle came in late after shooting earlier, so that’s fine. (Was the ankle brace for prevention?) I just did it for prevention.”

Soon, Jo So-hyun entered the age of 35 and became a veteran position. When asked if this World Cup was the last dance, she said, “I don’t know about that. I think I’m still playing well. I still want to do a little more, and I just want to quit when I want to quit. Right now, I think I still want to do more.” .

[Hereinafter, the full interview with Cho So-hyun]

What did Coach Bell order after the first half?

He told me what to do now, and in the case of So-yeon, Geum-min and me, they are looking at the midfielder now, and they wanted us to have more possession of the ball and do well. I hoped it would be resolved well, so we also focused more on the second half, and now that the opposing team has a lot less stamina, we also have a lot of space while watching it, so I think we had a lot of good chances.

How is the breathing of the 3 midfielders?

I guess I still have to adjust a little more. It’s the first time we’ve played together in this formation. Before that, So-yeon was injured, and before that, I was injured, so this time it didn’t fit well in the first half. So I think it worked out a little better in the second half.

It must have been difficult for me to adjust my condition because I didn’t play a lot this season, but

when we trained, it wasn’t an 11-11 game, so I knew in advance that my sense of the game was a bit lower. So, to be honest, when I played this time, there were more misses in the first half. Still, the coach gave me a chance in the second half, so I think I worked harder in the second half. I keep thinking about how I can do well rather than stress about the parts where I made a lot of mistakes, so now as I talk more with the players in the second half, a lot of space is created and I think we had a better game.

Colombia also seems to have a lot of fast players like Haiti.

We ended up using the 532 position this time. But we also tried it because the coach said let’s try it a little bit, but now it’s a bit unreasonable for us. Before entering the second half, we talked among ourselves and said that it would be nice if we could do better in this part, so it seems that we solved it well by ourselves. When I thought, when the players do a little more kick and rush, we react a little more, and when we go into the pass in between, we’re closer to each other in the midfield, defend it and send it to the side, I think that’s the best way think.

A penalty kick was awarded, but Ji So-yeon kicked it.

I was very good. First of all, I wanted to get a PK and kick it, but we still have a dedicated kicker named Soyeon. We had the belief that So-yeon would score a goal, so we thought about a tie and then started thinking about turning around. First of all, it feels so good that the team won.

Regarding Jang Seul-gi’s scoring,

I think the course was good and the trajectory was very good when shooting. I think it was a good thing to score that goal even though it was a difficult situation.

How are you preparing for the match against Morocco and Germany?

Rather than the second and third matches, we think the match against Colombia is the most important. We have been playing a lot of games like that to prepare. So in the case of the other two games, I think the coach will prepare well for me, so I think I just need to prepare well for them. For us, the first match is the most important. If I win that, I think that the next game will follow well, so I am focusing on the first game.

Was the injury okay during the game? What is the intensity of Haiti players’ physical fights?

It’s because the tackle came in late after shooting earlier, so it’s okay for physical fights and things like this. (Was the ankle brace used for prevention?) It was just for prevention.

I think I will go to this tournament aiming for excitement, but

this tournament is a tournament that I personally have a lot of greed for. I want to score goals and I want to do a lot of assists. I think it will be an opportunity to show more about myself. Before, I pushed my juniors a lot and did a lot from behind, but now my juniors are in a good position, and they are in such a senior position. I’m a bit greedy.

Is it the last dance?

I’m not sure about that. It seems to be running well so far. I still want to do a little more, and I just want to quit when I want to quit. I still feel like I want to do more.