“I’m looking forward to the match against England. I know the tickets are sold out.”
Lee Geum-min (29, Brighton Women), ‘Colin Bellho’s striker’, conveyed the excitement of the full crowd ahead of the opening of the Arnold Clark Cup.
The women’s soccer team, led by head coach Colin Bell, will participate in the first Arnold Clark Cup in England, starting with the game against England at 4:45 am (Korean time) on the 17th. An international women’s soccer friendly tournament hosted by the England Football Association (FA), in which four countries will participate, Korea will face England on the 20th, followed by Belgium on the 20th and Italy on the 23rd. It is a good opportunity for the national team to advance to the FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup for the third time in a row in July this year to boost their strength through confrontations with European powerhouses. Colin Belho started the first convocation training of the new year in Ulsan on the 30th of last month, and then departed for England on the 10th and is preparing for the competition there.
Lee Geum-min, who is active in the British Women’s Super League (WSL), joined the local team. On the 15th, two days before the match against England, after completing team training at the Milton Keynes MK Irish FC training ground in England, she spoke with KFA about her feelings and determination. told When asked how he felt about facing strong teams such as England, Italy, and Belgium, Lee Geum-min said, “I’m looking forward to the first game because it’s England. I know that the tickets for the game are sold out. In the crowd, how can our team improve compared to before? I’m looking forward to playing,” he said. The women’s soccer team experienced the crowd heat in the opening game against France in the 2019 World Cup France, but there is no experience of playing a game with a full crowd in Korea. After defeating strong Germany and winning the ‘Women’s Euro 2022’ held in their home country in August last year, the enthusiasm for women’s football in England has become even hotter. This is the reason why there is a lot of anticipation for the match against England, which will be held in full crowd.
Regarding how to deal with European players who are physically strong, Lee Geum-min expressed confidence, saying, “Korean players are agile and delicate in handling the ball. I think this can create a good opportunity in competition with opponents.” .
The Arnold Clark Cup is a process toward the Women’s World Cup in July. As a member of the 2010 Under-17 World Cup winning team, Lee Geum-min, who experienced both the first round of 16 at the 2015 World Cup in Canada and the 2019 World Cup in France ‘three consecutive defeats’, did not forget her solid determination for her third World Cup. She said, “There is not much time left. I want to finish well for the rest of the period and bring good results in the World Cup. I really want to break the best record (advancing to the round of 16) set by the women’s national team.” Below is the full Q&A with Lee Geum-min.
-How do you feel about facing strong teams such as England, Italy and Belgium?
▶ Since the first game is England, I am looking forward to it a lot. I also know that the tickets for the game are sold out. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of play our team will play with a better look than before in a large crowd.
– There must be players who have competed together as overseas players. Is there a player to be especially wary of?
▶ All English players are good and have their own style, so it is difficult to point out just one. All players have their strengths.
– How do you feel about facing England as a member of Brighton?
▶I know the strengths of each player because they are players who have played together in the league. We plan to share information about our opponents with our players so that they can help our team.
-What kind of play will be required for our team to show its strengths against players with strong physical abilities? 슬롯사이트
▶ Korean players are agile and delicate in handling the ball. I think this can create a good opportunity in competition with opponents.
– From Park Eun-seon to Chun Ga-ram, players with various ages and characteristics were selected for the attacking team. How will it affect the national team?
▶ Young players are active, run a lot, and play creatively. I think these things are bringing change to our team. Also, Eunseon unnie’s physicality makes me think that there is a player like this in Korea when other teams see it. Existence itself is a huge advantage.
– Full-scale preparations for the World Cup have begun. It seems that there will be an extraordinary resolution and mindset ahead of the third World Cup.
▶ There is not much time left. I want to finish well for the rest of the period and bring good results in the World Cup. I really want to break the record (advancing to the round of 16) set by the women’s national team.