South stay at top of Olympic qualifier group after 0-0 draw with North

The South Korean women’s football team remained at the top of Group B of the second round of the Paris Olympic qualifiers despite a goalless draw with North Korea on Sunday.

The South Korea women's football team poses for a photo before a Paris Olympic qualifer match against North Korea at Xiamen Egret Stadium in Xiamen, China on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The South Korean women’s football team remained at the top of Group B of the second round of the Paris Olympic qualifiers despite a goalless draw with North Korea on Sunday.

South Korea looked to win the second Paris Olympic qualifier in a row at Xiamen Egret Stadium in Xiamen, China after a remarkable 10-1 win against Thailand on Friday.

Sunday’s fixture was the two sides’ first clash since the Hangzhou Asian Games quarterfinal on Sept. 30, which ended with a 4-1 loss for South Korea who were one woman down after Son Hwa-yeon was sent off for a controversial decision by the referee.

The roster for the Olympic qualifiers includes players mostly from the Asian Games, as both tournaments do not have an age limit.

South Korea showed vulnerability in defense during Sunday’s match, allowing North Korea to manage multiple shots on target. Goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi, however, was there to the rescue.

South Korea’s Casey Phair, who scored a hat trick in Friday’s fixture, failed to break through the North Korean defense and her teammates Lee Geum-min and Kang Chae-rim also could not open the scoring with the team having to defend North Korea’s constant attacks.

With North Korea attempting multiple shots through the end, a victory seemed more promising for the North, but they failed to score the winner and ended the game at 0-0.

For South Korea, it was a bearable result despite failing to get revenge on the side that knocked them out of the Asiad, as the team still retained the frontrunner position in Group B with four points — tying with North Korea but edging out by the goal difference.

The Taeguk Ladies led by manager Colin Bell will next face China on Wednesday. China, North Korea and Thailand compete in the same group as South Korea.

A total of 12 teams, divided into three groups of four, compete in the second round of the qualifiers with a round-robin format. Three group winners, in addition to one best-ranked runner-up, will advance to the final round of the qualifiers.

The South Korean women’s team has never qualified for the Olympics since women’s football became an official sport in the Games in 1996.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]