Korea Republic women’s national team failed to grab an elusive victory over China.

Colin Bell’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by China PR in their second match of the EAFF E-1 Championship at Kashima Stadium in Ibaraki, Japan on Saturday. Korea Republic took control in the first half with Choe Yuri scoring her first goal of the competition on 34 minutes, before Wang Linlin equalised from a corner on 76 minutes.

Following a 2-1 reverse against defending champions Japan in the opening match on Tuesday, the Taegeuk Nangja have recorded a draw and a defeat from two games. Korea Republic are up against Chinese Taipei next Tuesday, with the other fixture between Japan and China later on the same day to decide the final standings.

Bell opted for a similar formation that he had deployed in the previous match, making a couple of changes in detail: Yoon Younggeul stood between the sticks; Lim Seonjoo, Hong Hyeji and Kim Hyeri at the back; Jang Selgi and Choo Hyojoo on the flanks; Cho Sohyun, Ji Soyun and Lee Youngju in midfield; Choe Yuri and Kang Chaerim up front.

Compared with the line-up from the opening match, Yoon started in place of veteran custodian Kim Jungmi, with centre-back Hong replacing Shim Seoyeon. Kang Chaerim, instead of Son Hwayeon who had started in the first match, was deployed in tandem with Choe up front. The triangle in midfield – Lee Youngju and Cho Sohyun behind playmaker Ji Soyun – was reversed, with Cho and Ji acting as attacking midfielders in front of defensive lynchpin Lee.

Korea Republic seized the control of the game from the outset, putting pressure on the opposition in all areas on the pitch as they did against Japan. They dominated the match after opening exchanges, intercepting the ball from the final third quite a few times. As for the Chinese, Wang Shanshan drew attentions from defenders to make space for the wingers on the flanks, although they struggled to create any clear-cut chances against the solid Korean defence.

The battle in midfield intensified midway through the first half, as both sides fought hard to gain possession of the ball. And the deadlock was finally broken on 34 minutes, when Lee Youngju found Cho lurking into the frontline. Cho immediately passed the ball on to Choe, who calmly collected the ball before curling an audacious effort into the top corner to score against China once again since she put her side ahead in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup final.

The Steel Roses did not give up without a fight, however, as they put more players up front in search of an equaliser after the interval. Both sides approached more aggressively in midfield as the second half got underway. Substitutes Xiao Yuyi and Zhang Rui tried their luck from distance but to no avail. At the opposite end, Choe and Kang led the counters against the run of play.

Korea Republic were dealt a blow 23 minutes into the second half, when Choo suffered an injury whilst trying to block the Chinese attack with a tackle. Bell was forced to bring Son Hwayeon on and move Choe into the flank. But the Chinese kept up the pressure, until they finally equalised from a corner on 76 minutes. Yoon managed to parry the ball from a left corner, but it only fell into the path of Xiao who set up Wang to fire home from close range.

Lee Mina then came off the bench as the Taegeuk Nangja fought back to regain control, but they still struggled to create crucial opportunities. There was not enough time for them to translate the dominance into a late winner, as the match ended in a stalemate.

2022 EAFF E-1 Championship(Kashima Stadium, 23 July 2022)

China PR 1-1 Korea Republic

Scorers: Wang Linlin 76’; Choe Yuri 34’

KOR: Yoon Younggeul; Lim Seonjoo, Hong Hyeji, Kim Hyeri; Jang Selgi, Cho Sohyun, Lee Youngju, Ji Soyun, Choo Hyojoo (Son Hwayeon 68’); Choe Yuri, Kang Chaerim (Lee Mina 83’)