Colin Bell only wanted to move forward. When the desired form did not come out, he stopped the players strongly and was effective.
The Korean women’s national soccer team, led by coach Bell, won a 5-2 victory over Zambia in a friendly match held at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 7th. It was the first of two consecutive matches against Zambia prepared ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which opens in July.
The result itself might have been satisfactory, but the content of the first half was not. Until around the 25th minute of the first half, Belho held the ball and led the attack, and there were frequent scenes of him seizing the ball by pressing his opponent hard. However, in the 24th minute of the first half, Cho So-hyun scored the first goal, and Lim Seon-joo was injured, and the pace was rapidly lost. In the end, he conceded two goals in the first half and allowed a comeback.
Belho, who spent the second half of the first half unfortunately, exuded a different atmosphere at the start of the second half. Park Eun-seon was put in and not only gained the upper hand in physical, but the players also moved forward more actively.
In a post-game press conference, coach Bell said, “(At halftime), I increased the intensity of the second half and ordered forward play.” I asked the players for this and they responded correctly.”
On this day, 1,380 spectators entered the Suwon World Cup Stadium despite the cold weather. Every time the players showed good touches and sensible plays in the first half, cheers erupted from the crowd, and coach Bell did not want the players to be intoxicated by the cheers. 메이저놀이터
Key midfielder Jang Seul-gi met with reporters in the joint coverage area after the game and conveyed the atmosphere of the halftime locker room. He said, “The most memorable (coach’s) comment was to play for ourselves, not for the audience. It meant not to play football that the spectators can see.” Then he laughed, “I kept getting scolded. I can’t remember (what I heard). I got scolded too much.”
Winning a victory is more certain than good-looking football. After taking office in 2019, coach Bell ordered “high intensity” for the players for four years. It presses hard and demands to constantly move forward.
In the game against Zambia, Park Eun-sun was substituted at the start of the second half and showed fighting spirit by winning the ball from the front. The players also increased their pace in the second half and clearly took the initiative. Three goals were scored and a comeback was possible. It was a match that revealed Coach Bell’s philosophy that winning is more important than pretty football.