Korea v Germany
In what felt like a loss for Germany, Korea and Germany shared the points in the final group stage game of Group H. Korea opened the scoring with a goal in the 5th minute by Cho So-Hyun. Alexandra Popp levelled the score sheet before half time, scoring a header in the 42nd minute.
Despite having many chances on goal, Germany were unable to find a winning goal. Elsewhere in Group H, Morocco won 1-0 against group leaders Colombia, taking them to second place in the group and ending Germany’s 2023 World Cup Journey.
Tactical Focus: Germany
Voss-Tecklenburg opted to keep their 4-2-3-1 formation from their first two matches, making only two changes to her starting line up. Lea Schuller replaced Lina Magull in the attacking line up, slotting into Popp’s centre forward position. Due to this change, Captain Alexandra Popp dropped into the centre midfield position behind Schuller. In defence, Marina Hegering, who missed the first two matches due to injury, replaced Sara Doorsoun at centre half.
Svenja Huth’s fullback position allowed Germany to have more numbers in attack, with the usual midfielder having the ability to use the right channel to overlap Jule Brand and deliver crosses into the box. Her high positioning on the right channel often left Germany with a back three on attack. However, against the line of five Korean midfielders, it proved to be difficult to make usage of the channel to her full advantage. When delivering crosses into the box, they were often defended by four or more Korean players who lessened Germany’s chances of scoring. However, she persisted and delivered a quality cross which found the head of Popp in the 42nd minute to level the score line.
The defensive midfield positioning of Lena Oberdorf and Sara Dabritz ensured a stronger defensive line for Germany, with both players having the ability to join the defensive line when called upon. Oberdorf and Dabritz dropped low to collect the ball from the defence, and use their passing ability to find Germany’s attacking players and pose a threat to Korea. Both joined the attack, with Dabritz trying to find a goal.
Popp’s positioning behind Schuller may have been due to the success it proved to be at the end of their defeat against Colombia. However, the missing threat of Popp in the box may have led to Germany’s goal drought in the first half. She found herself dropping deeper when needed, and joining the attack behind Schuller. Taking up her regular positioning in the box alongside Schuller in the box, she met the cross of Svenja Huth, using her aerial dominance to find the back of the net through a header, rising above the three Korean players she found herself surrounded by.
Germany continued to pose a great threat to Korea in the second half, sending many dangerous balls into the box. They found the head of Popp on many occasions, who scored the goal which was ruled offside in the 57th minute, and headed a chance to put Germany ahead in the 60th minute, which hit the crossbar.
Unable to find a winning goal, Germany brought Sydney Lohmann and Nicole Anyomi onto the pitch to bring fresh legs into their attack. Voss-Tecklenburg was ultimately trying to find another outlet for a goal, bringing new players into the attack. To strengthen their central area, Sara Dabritz made way for Lena Lattwein who slotted in beside Lena Oberdorf. Lohmann had one of Germany’s last chances of the game, bringing a bright spark from joining the pitch, sending the ball over the crossbar.
Key Players: Germany
- Alexandra Popp
Starting in the centre midfield position, Alexandra Popp found her way through on goal to head a ball from Huth into the back in the net, putting Germany level with Korea. She had many attempts on goal, being involved in attacking and dropped deeper into midfield to help when called upon.
- Svenja Huth
Putting the precisely placed cross into the box to find the head of Alexandra Popp, she assisted Germany’s only goal of the match. She played the role of a high and wide right full back and used the right channel to try and pose a threat to the strong defensive line of Korea.
Tactical Analysis: Korea
Korea lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, making four changes to their starting lineup. Lee Young-Ju replaced Hong Hyeji in the centre half position, looking for a solution to their problems in their defensive line. Chun Ga-Ram replaced Lee Geum-Min. Colin Bell changed his front two, with Casey Phair and Choe Yu-Ri replacing Son Hwa-Yeo and Eun Sun Park from their 1-0 defeat against Morocco.
Their 3-5-2 positioning allowed them to dominate the central areas, having eight players defending any German attack. This created a challenging task for Germany to find a way past the defensive wall of Korea.
Early disruption for Germany saw Casey Phair in front of goal with a chance to shoot. Merle Frohms denied the youngest starter in the World Cup her first chance on goal, getting a light touch to send the ball to the right against the post. Korea didn’t have to wait long for their first goal, with Cho So-Hyun slotting the ball into the bottom left corner.
Following their opening goal, Korea changed their formation to a 4-1-4-1, creating a defensive battle for Germany to face. Jang Sel-Gi dropped into the left full back position from the left wing, with Choe Yu-Ri slotting into left midfield from centre forward. Casey Phair pressed the German defence in the centre forward position, using her speed in attempts to create errors among Germany’s back line.
Korea overloaded the central area, attempting to stop Germany’s attacking threat. When defending, they often had four or more players in the box to stop the threat, however despite marking Popp in the box with three players, they were unable to stop her finding the net from a header.
The substitution of Eun Sun Park for Chun Ga-Ram in the second half was undoubtedly made to match the threat of Popp in the Korean penalty area. Having scored from a header at the end of the first half, and having two chances early into the second, the decision to bring on Eun Sun Park was to inspire new attacking movements among Korea, trying to pose a threat to Germany’s defensive line. They continue to search for a winning goal, bringing Moon Mira on for Casey Phair in the centre forward position.
Korea remained defensive throughout the second half, setting up to stop Germany’s attack. Despite having many attempts on goal, Korea stopped Germany from finding a winning goal, seeing out the 1-1 draw and finding their first point of the 2023 World Cup.
Key Players: Korea
- Cho So-Hyun
Cho So-Hyun scored the opening goal of the match with a precisely placed shot into the bottom left corner, with the ball curving round Merle Frohms. She slotted into the left midfield position following the goal, helping Korea remain ultra defensive against Germany.
- Kim Jung-Mi
Goalkeeper Kim Jung-Mi remained confident in the box, saving many shots that came her way. She worked alongside her defence to create a formation that proved difficult for Germany to crack, and her strong presence in the box helped her team keep the 1-1 draw.
- Ji So-Yun
Present across all areas of the pitch, Ji So-Yun was a part of attacking and defensive movements, applying great pressure to Germany and making it difficult for them to find a solution to score.